The Reaper's Lesson
by Greywind
Summary: Voldemort unleashes a new plot to snare Harry and his friends, by means of one who used to be an Order Member. Meanwhile Harry is attempting to cope with the losses of OotP and deal with new feelings and thoughts about those around him. HG RHr
1. Prologue

The Reaper's Lesson By Greywind  
  
Prologue: The Dead Man and the Boy Who Lived  
The black-coated man stood under a streetlight on the far corner of Privet Drive, gazing impassively at number four. Nothing out of the ordinary marred the scene before him; for all intents and purposes it was a typical, boring British neighborhood. But an extraordinary person lives in this typical, boring British neighborhood, the man reminded himself sternly, someone who must be protected, someone important. Harry Potter lived here.  
  
Why it was so important for this boy to be guarded was a question the man had not bothered to ask, Darius Raider did not question Albus Dumbledore. If Dumbledore said it was important, then it was, that was all there was to it as far as Darius was concerned. Besides with the war starting up again people who used to pull this duty were needed elsewhere. This was easy, no morals or anything, just something he could do without having to think to much about the reasons behind his participation.  
  
Absently he took a long pull on the cigarette in his left hand; true they were bad for you, but he didn't smoke them normally, just when he was here. Besides, his health was something very low on his list of concerns. He'd lived for so long without physically ageing his health wouldn't be affected by anything so trivial. Magic would fix any damage anyway. He used them to contribute to his image of a muggle, as far back as he could remember, and that was a very long way, no wizards had ever smoked these stupid things and as such it would take a sharp observer not to just dismiss him as a muggle drifter.  
  
Darius sighed, trying to banish the dark thoughts and memories that always surfaced when his mind turned to age, or life and death... especially death. 'Murderer...Killer...'He shivered involuntarily and hurled those dark, whispering thoughts back into his subconscious where they usually resided. It was easy to let them out in these times, muggles disappearing, those fools at the Ministry in chaos, war breaking out in the wizarding world.  
  
'Not the best time to be alive,' Darius reflected, but what did he care, life itself was a dark shroud to him anyway, war or no war. Only Dumbledore had kept him on the right path, the one that might lead to the light someday. His Order of the Phoenix was a rock amid the storm, battered but standing. It gave Darius a tiny glimmer of hope as he stared at Number Four.  
  
He'd caught occasional glimpses of the boy of course, standing night watch for a month made it impossible to have not seen him. An unimpressive specimen in Darius' opinion, Remus had said that you could see the pain he'd been through when you looked in his eyes. But Darius considered himself a leading expert in what pain and anguish really were and saw only the merest shadow of it in Harry Potter's eyes.  
True he had lost his parents before he even knew them, seen the Dark Lord murder someone right in front of him and apparently had recently lost his godfather in that Ministry fiasco last Spring. However Darius looked upon these traumatic losses with a cynical eye, because Harry Potter wasn't alone with his pain. The entire Order, with a few notable exceptions, was behind him in a kind of unspoken support group.  
  
Not to mention his friends; that was what killed Darius the most, he had such good, caring friends and still felt depressed. Regular letters of support and friendship came from Arthur Weasley's son and that Granger girl he was crazy about but too naive to admit it. Also there had been some correspondence between Harry and Arthur's daughter, which, given their previous history Darius found interesting. He had studied the boy's relationships and past in great detail in preparation for his work. With such aid Darius knew Potter's pain would soon fade, although he didn't expect the boy to think that now.  
  
He snorted; true pain was not simple to manage. The sky was lightening now, dawn fast approaching. He frowned at the typical British house, "Pray you never know pain as I have known Harry Potter." he growled into the night air. Seeing Mundungus Fletcher arriving to take over the day shift, he turned and faded into shadow; not seeing that his view made him as blind to Harry's pain as Harry was to his, not knowing what effect it would soon have.  
  
He apparated back to his small London flat, striding down the stairs to the sunken doorway he missed the cloaked figure standing in the shadows until he was almost on top of it.  
  
"Good evening," said the figure in a cold, drawling voice, "I have something for you."  
  
"Yeah?" replied Darius, mentally gauging the distance between them, he could probably put the stranger out of action before he got off even a basic spell. "What?"  
  
"A solution," the stranger answered smugly, "a way to ease the pain." He released the object he'd been concealing in his palm and quicker than Darius could react it flew forward and struck him.  
  
Darius screamed, not through any physical pain, but because of what the crystal sphere was doing to him. "No! No! You fool! How...You can't...can't..." he began gasping as the spell began pulling him apart on the inside, tearing him from his own body. "You'll let him out! You fool! Fool..." his voice faded, as did his spirit, carried away by the spell.  
  
Lucius Malfoy swept back the hood and mask, his eyes gleaming in triumph as he bent and retrieved the now glowing sphere from where the black clad body lay on the concrete. Slowly the arms flexed and grew rigid and the man who was no longer a man raised himself to his feet; staring about with the air of a long imprisoned convict stepping out into the sun.  
  
"I greet you Reaper," Malfoy bowed low, "and come bearing gifts from my master, he desires your service." From out of his voluminous cloak he produced a black and silver scythe, more weapon than tool, and extended it.  
  
Slowly the Reaper reached out and grasped the weapon like it was an old familiar friend. Then the face that had once been Darius Raider's broke into a grin of pointed fangs and the Reaper began to laugh. 


	2. Chapter 1: The Letters

Chapter One: The Letters  
Harry Potter landed his Firebolt within sight of the Burrow amid the descending shapes of Lupin, Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. He was glad to have arrived at last; Moody had led them on such a circuitous route from Little Whingeing that the trip had taken twice as long as it normally had and Harry was done in. He had complained of course, but Moody was as unflappable as ever and had simply ignored his protests. Despite his frustration Harry felt himself smiling as he turned towards the Burrow.  
  
The first month and a half had been miserable, by far Harry's worst summer yet. Naturally Harry was used to having lousy summers, but this one had been different; it wasn't the Dursleys that made it so bad, it had been Harry's own mind. For two weeks all he had been able to do was stay in his room and wallow in misery, the loss of Sirius had hit him terribly hard. The Dursleys mercifully left him alone, Moody's warning was still fresh enough in their minds and would probably still be strong for years to come.  
  
Harry had spent his time, mournfully trying to get his mind off of Sirius' loss. All of his homework assigned over the break was done with quickly because he had worked on it religiously, reading and writing far into the night to ward off dreams. Even a long essay on vampires assigned by Professor McGonagall as Defense Against the Dark Arts homework (Professor Umbridge had, of course, not assigned any.) gave him only a few days peace.  
  
Time spent looking up the origins of famous vampires, their resistance to most spells, and their weaknesses and behaviors kept his mind clear of the black pit of grief that Sirius' death had left inside him, at least for a little while. He also studied the Defense Against the Dark Arts book Sirius and Lupin had given him for Christmas, he couldn't do the actual spells of course, but he memorized their application for later. Anything he could do he did, and still his dreams were haunted by the accusing face of Sirius, staring at him through a black veil.  
  
Finally, when Harry felt that his own heart might break inside his chest from the pain, Hedwig had brought relief in the form of several letters. The first was from none other than Dumbledore himself, Harry was greatly surprised; he had spent part of last summer in forced isolation, but Dumbledore seemed determined to make amends for what he deemed to be his mistakes. He was worried that the letter might have made Hedwig a target for Death Eaters, but he needn't have worried. The letter was full of information, but none of it critical.  
  
Dumbledore asked Harry to continue to practice Occlumency and promised private lessons when he got back to school, even though he had very good information that Voldemort had taken drastic measures to cut the link between himself and Harry, even going so far as to shut his own mind from Harry's, a link which he had used to grand effect the previous year, tricking and possessing Harry. The natural conclusion for this was that Voldemort was planning something big, and he didn't want Harry to catch even a glimpse of what he was doing. Still, the block might not be permanent; if the Dark Lord had built one, he could tear it down.  
  
Dumbledore apologized again for his mistakes of the previous year and promised that Harry would be removed to the Burrow as soon as he, Dumbledore, felt that it was adequately protected. After reading it Harry felt both relieved and slightly guilty over the row he had given Dumbledore last year in his office. He wrote back a reply which he felt would convey to Dumbledore that he didn't blame him for last year and he eagerly awaited the journey to the Burrow. It was true Harry didn't blame Dumbledore for Sirius' death, he blamed himself.  
  
The next two were from Ron and Hermione. Hermione's, as he had expected, was chock full of sympathy;  
  
Dear Harry,  
I do hope you are doing all right, I'm really sorry you have to stay there still. I've heard you'll be at the Burrow soon, hopefully I'll see you there. Mum and Dad wanted to take a vacation, but I didn't think it would be such a good idea to go traveling, what with the war and all, I've told them how to recognize magic and to stay near home for the time being. They said I could go to Ron's as soon as you did.  
I know what you're doing Harry and you mustn't blame yourself, what happened was not your fault, don't you dare feel guilty. You're better than you think, just try to stay serene, I hope to see you very soon.  
  
Love from,  
  
Hermione  
  
Ron's was comradelier and awkwardly sympathetic;  
  
Dear Harry,  
How are you doing mate? Silly question, but I hope you're not too down, keep your spirits up and we'll have you out of that stinkhole as fast as we can. There's loads of blokes here laying up magical protections and whatnot. Mum's going crazy trying to keep the house in shape while they're crawling all over it. I haven't heard her yell like that since we flew the car to school.  
Fred and George are still around, just until they can find a place, I hope they don't find one too soon, it'll be dull around here without them. Percy still hasn't come back, we think he's too embarrassed to come and fess up to dad, the git. I just wish he'd either do it and take his lumps or just leave altogether, none of this uncertainty stuff. Anyway, I'll see you soon mate, keep your chin up.  
  
Ron  
  
These messages had broken the lethargy he had wrapped himself in, but did not ease his feelings. He cared very much about Ron and Hermione, but neither of them could make any change to his guilt because they had not had the same experiences. What did they know of being dumb enough to be tricked, making a stupid mistake that cost the life of someone you cared so deeply about? Losing the closest thing you ever had to family through your own faults? Nothing, that's what they knew, and because of that anything they said about it was irrelevant.  
  
After reading those letters he no longer brooded, but he still felt hollow inside. Two days later he found out what Voldemort's big plan had been. He was over at Mrs. Figg's when he heard; she had been the one nice change to Privet Drive giving Harry some friendly, if slightly odd, conversation. The front page of the Daily Prophet reported a clash between Death Eaters and Aurors at Azkaban.  
  
Apparently a large force of Dementors led by several Death Eaters had attacked the prison guards just before dawn, Aurors had been summoned and a huge fight had broken out. It culminated in the appearance of Voldemort himself, who had personally broken the resistance and removed the imprisoned Death Eaters, including the ones Harry had fought in the Department of Mysteries.  
  
Two Aurors and five prison guards had been killed, four injured and three guards had been kissed by dementors and left soulless. The Aurors reported three Death Eaters killed and two wounded, although their identities were unknown, Harry hoped it had been Lucius Malfoy or Bellatrix Lestrange, also a large number of dementors had been destroyed.  
  
Fifteen Death Eaters had escaped, but two of the escapees, Macnair and Jugson, had been recaptured. All in all, it was a stunning beginning to the second war. It was a testament to Dumbledore's information that Harry felt neither a twinge of Voldemort's anger, nor a hint of his happiness, the link was well and truly sealed for now.  
  
Harry had returned to his room in a melancholy fog, until he spotted a letter he had missed when Hedwig had brought the others. Upon opening it he had discovered to his surprise that it was from none other than Ginny Weasley.  
  
Dear Harry,  
No one knows I'm writing this so don't worry about having to discuss it with others. I just wanted to say that; believe it or not, I do know how you feel. After I was possessed by Riddle I felt the same way you do now, all of that pain and anguish was my fault. The guilt seemed impossible to bear, until I went back next year and found that there really had been no lasting harm, the ones who had been hurt didn't blame me, everything was okay again.  
I'm telling you this because I know you blame yourself for what happened to Sirius and I also know that you shouldn't. Sirius doesn't blame you for it, it may sound strange, but I knew him and he wouldn't have blamed you at all. Since he doesn't, there's no reason to blame yourself. Give blame where blame is due Harry, it all comes down to Voldemort. Feel better knowing that Sirius fell doing what he loved best, watching over you, and know that he's still watching and wants to see you happy again. I know you can do it Harry, be strong.  
  
Your friend,  
  
Ginny  
  
After reading the letter he sat there for a long time, staring out the window into the sunlight; he found that he actually felt a little better. What she had said made a lot of sense to him on a very basic level. He was surprised that she had read his problem so well and had known the answer. He wrote back a very warm reply and she had responded in kind, he began to hold Ginny in much higher regard than he had ever granted her when she was just Ron's little sister.  
  
Gradually under the weight of so much warmth from so many people his pain lessened, although he still hadn't dealt with it, it didn't torment his every waking moment. Now he could push it to the back of his mind. This went on for a further two weeks with regular letters from the three. A few days later his escort arrived and spirited him away. 


	3. Chapter 2: The Arrival

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter Two: The Arrival  
  
"Now then," growled Moody, in his gravelly voice," We're in the protective perimeter that Emmeline set up, so we should be okay. Just keep your wits about you until we get into the yard."  
"Right," said Harry, shouldering his Firebolt and handing off his trunk to an obliging Kingsley.  
"Now Harry," said Lupin quietly, as they began walking, "there are detectors and shields up all over, along with a Fidelius Charm on the house itself. Dumbeldore's the secret-keeper of course."  
Harry smiled wanly at Lupin; it still squeezed his heart to look at him, the last Marauder, bereft of his oldest and dearest friends. They hadn't mentioned Sirius.  
"What he's trying to say Harry," interjected Kingsley, "is that the place is well protected, but don't take it for granted."  
"I know, I know, be careful. Harry interrupted, feeling a twinge, "I'm done being reckless ok?"  
Both Kingsley and Lupin winced, "That's not what we were." Lupin began, but he was interrupted by a loud crack.  
All of them whirled around wands raised to see Sturgis Podmore, apparently out of Azkaban, apparate in a short distance down the road outside of the apparation shield. He looked wild and out of breath. "Alastor!" he panted, when he caught sight of them, "Hurry, you've got to come! They hit Arabella's!" Harry was shocked; he had just been at Mrs. Figg's four days ago.  
"Mundungus was on station and he managed to get the house locked down before they got inside, but there's too many for them to hold out long. Quick, you've all got to come right away!" Sturgis was regaining his breath.  
"But." began Lupin; however Kingsley had already dropped Harry's trunk and was hurrying forward. Moody turned to Harry, "Make for the house boy, hurry along and you'll be fine, don't be out here more than five minutes got that?" Harry nodded dumbly. Moody was off as well, moving toward Sturgis as fast as his wooden leg would allow. Lupin looked undecided for a moment, but Harry shouted at him, "Go! They need you, I'll be fine, the house is right there, go!" Lupin nodded and reached the others just as they all apparated out with a thunderous crack.  
Harry stared at the spot they had occupied, he hoped Mrs. Figg, who had made life on Privet Drive that much more bearable, and Mundungus, whom he liked very much, would be okay. Quickly he gathered up his trunk and set off toward the Burrow dragging it behind him. He was so absorbed in his worries and so fixed on the house that he almost missed the man standing by the side of the road. Upon seeing him Harry halted immediately and studied him, his hand on his wand. He was tall and muscular, very pale with sharp grey eyes and very dark brown hair cut short. He was dressed all in black with a long black coat covering it all. He leaned nonchalantly against a fence post in the deep shadows of a tall tree, looking at Harry as though he knew him.  
Before Harry could decide what to do the man smiled and gave him a friendly wink, "Wotcher Harry." He said lightly, his voice pleasant.  
Harry slowly lowered his wand; only one person had ever said that to him, a person, who by virtue of her birth could look like anyone. He hesitated and then said tentatively, "Tonks?"  
The man grinned mischievously, "Guilty Harry."  
"Nice disguise!" Harry said, moving closer, "I didn't know you could do men."  
Something flickered in those grey eyes, "New talent, just takes some time," her face screwed up. "It's really weird." Harry laughed, and then remembered.  
"Tonks, they've just attacked Mrs. Figg; everybody else is going s down there that's why I'm by myself!"  
Tonks looked taken aback, "Seriously? Merlin's beard! See ya Harry!" and she was off, running almost unnaturally swiftly down the road. Harry, resuming his march toward the Burrow, halted for a second realizing that Tonks hadn't done a single clumsy thing, even while running full tilt down the road. He shrugged and dismissed the odd thought, people changed, he could vouch for that.  
Remembering Moody's warning Harry hurried toward the Burrow. As soon as he was in sight of the front door it burst open and out came Mrs. Weasley and Ron. Mrs. Weasley looked a bit thinner than her usual self, but her color was better than when Harry had last seen her. Apparently having family in the Order was something she was getting used to. Ron seemed to have finally peaked, he was no taller, but still had a few good inches on everyone else; he looked very pleased to see Harry.  
"Harry!" cried Mrs. Weasley, "How are you dear? Where are the guards? Why are you alone, oh dear, how are you?!"  
"Fine, I'm fine," Harry assured her, before being engulfed in a bone- cracking hug, he looked at Ron over her shoulder, they both shared an expression usually reserved for Hermione and S.P.E.W. "The rest had to go, there was an attack on Mrs. Figg's, they went to help."  
Mrs. Weasley looked concerned but not in the least put out. "All right, let's get you settled inside dear; I'm sure everything will be all right. Lupin will be checking in later to let us know about it, always a good, conscious man he is."  
She seized Harry's trunk and hauled it away with all her considerable energy, while Ron approached and clapped Harry on the back. "Good to see you mate, how're you doing?"  
Harry looked up at him with his first genuine smile in a long time, "I'm.better," he said, he had been going to say "fine", but Ron deserved more than that, "I'm doing all right. I'll be even better now that I'm here."  
Ron grinned as they headed back to the Burrow, "Welcome home mate."  
Harry gazed at the ramshackle building that housed so many he cared about. Welcome home indeed. 


	4. Chapter 3: The Couple

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters except for the Reaper.  
  
Chapter Three: The Couple  
"Dad's off getting Hermione," Ron told Harry as they went into the kitchen, Harry leaned his Firebolt against the doorframe, "Fred and George are at the shop of course, and they spend a lot of time there with Lee Jordan. They're making loads of money I've never seen anything like it, they're happy as can be."  
"Good for them," said Harry, grinning and thinking fondly of the roguish duo, "Er, does your mum know about my. donation?"  
Ron grinned at the look on his face, "Yeah, but don't worry," he said quickly, seeing Harry blanch, "she's a lot more receptive to the idea of them running a joke shop now that she's seen how successful they are. She's even forgiven them for doing a runner from school."  
Harry laughed and then asked the question he'd wanted to ask, "Is Ginny here?"  
"Oh," Ron's expression changed to one of mingled frustration and annoyance, "yeah, she's." but before he could finish there were footsteps on the stairs and they both turned.  
Ginny came down and Harry caught his breath, she had certainly changed quite a bit since he'd last seen her. Or far more likely, she'd changed earlier and he'd just now noticed it. She looked much older, more like a young woman than the girl he had always thought of her as. Her shiny mane of red hair swirled around her face. She's very pretty, he thought to himself, and then he realized he was staring.  
"Hello Ginny!" he said, shaking himself out of it.  
"Hi Harry!" she replied brightly, "What's going on? Mum said something about you coming in alone."  
"The others had to go help Mrs. Figg, her house was just hit." Said Harry, wishing he didn't have to relate this news this early into the conversation.  
"Oh," Ginny said, frowning slightly, "Well, I hope everything turns out all right." Both Harry and Ron nodded.  
"So, how are you two?" Harry changed the subject in the pensive silence that followed. "Had a good summer, what have you been doing?"  
Ron opened his mouth to answer, but before he could yet another pair of footsteps was heard on the stairs, Harry looked up, Dean Thomas was descending. He looked rather nervous.  
"Dean?" Harry was surprised, "What are you." he broke off, his mind wandered back to the previous return trip on the Hogwarts express. They had been discussing relationships, Cho's and Ginny's to be exact. Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better? Ginny had said that, Harry now understood Dean's presence all too well.  
"How are you?" Harry changed his statement, inwardly wincing at his earlier blunder. Ginny was looking slightly apprehensive.  
"I'm all right Harry," Dean replied, smiling tentatively, he seemed relieved, although still on edge. "Had a good summer so far?"  
"Oh, you know," Harry glanced around the Burrow, "it's looking up."  
"Yeah well," came Ron's voice, behind him with a touch of frost in it, "we'd better get you settled Harry, c'mon."  
"What? Oh right, umm, talk to you both later then." Harry said Ron was already edging him up the stairs.  
"Sure, see you Harry." said Ginny, determinedly not looking at Ron. Dean gave a halfhearted wave, and moved out of their way, keeping Harry firmly between himself and Ron. Ron walked stiffly with a look on his face that suggested he'd been holding his breath for too long until they turned a corner in the stairs and were out of sight of Ginny and Dean on the ground floor. Then his expression turned sour and he made a beeline for his room so fast Harry had to jog to keep up.  
"What's up?" Harry asked in exasperation as Ron hurried into his room, expelled his mother who was taking out Harry's things, and slammed the door almost before Harry had passed through it.  
"What's up is I can't stand being in the room with those two, he's so smug and she just won't look at me, like I'm doing something wrong or something!" growled Ron, firing owl treats at Pigwidgeon to quiet him, narrowly missing the tiny owl. "It makes me sick!"  
Dean hadn't seemed all that smug to Harry if anything he had looked rather frightened. However, he wasn't about to say that, Ron looked ready to hit something and Harry didn't want to present himself as a worthy target. Instead he shrugged and asked, "What have you got against Dean?"  
"I haven't got anything against him!" protested Ron, "All right, maybe I have." he growled, seeing the look on Harry's face. "It's not really him personally, you know, I just wish Ginny hadn't chosen him that's all." He gave Harry that oddly furtive look Harry had seen once before on the Hogwarts Express.  
"Well that explains it really well." Said Harry mock sarcastically, but he halted as Ron looked at him with an expression he usually reserved for Michael Corner or Zacharias Smith. "Easy Ron, it won't last forever, you'll get used to it or they'll break up just try to be a bit mellower about it." Ron growled and continued to mutter under his breath while he searched the room for his wand. Harry was left to consider his own feelings on the matter.  
He started by telling himself that he was happy that Ginny and Dean had found each other. However, he really couldn't muster any support for that position in his mind. Something held him back from feeling that way. The way he had consoled Ron also troubled him, he had said the part about them breaking up differently. Almost hopefully, he thought to himself, was I really thinking that? Am I jealous? Whoa! His mind jumped back and got a grip on itself. Snap out of it Potter, she's Ginny, your good friend, your best mate's little sister, it's just the grief talking. Yeah, that was it, just circumstantial. But he couldn't quite shake off this feeling of vague resentment, as though something was not quite right. Anyway, you're not in any shape for a relationship now, a little voice in his head whispered. To distract himself he posed more questions to Ron.  
"How long has he been here?"  
"Oh he's been in for a day or so every now and again, this is his first long stay; he'll be going home before school starts so he can get all of his stuff." Ron glared, "Sooner the better I say."  
"When's Hermione getting here?"  
"Hm?" Ron looked up after pulling his wand from the bedspread, "Oh, she should be here any time, dad left a while ago."  
"How're they getting here," asked Harry, choosing not to comment on the slightly pinkish color Ron's cheeks acquired whenever Hermione's name was mentioned. "floo powder?"  
"Nah," replied Ron, summoning a cot for Harry, "the network's less safe these days."  
"Then how?"  
Just then there was a tremendous honking noise from the front lawn, Harry couldn't see what it was because Ron's window pointed in the wrong direction. Harry looked at Ron questioningly, he was smiling knowingly. "That should be them. C'mon Harry!" and he was gone out the door like a shot. Harry, bursting with curiosity, followed swiftly. 


	5. Chapter 4: Setting the Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I would be very rich, I'm not.  
  
Chapter Four: Setting the Storm  
The Reaper strode into the room with all the confidence and swagger of one who has no doubts. He was almost skipping with his own brand of joy. After so long hidden in the background he was out. Out! The word sounded so great he grinned, baring his pointed fangs for all in the room to see. Out, and ready to drink in life, literally and figuratively. Life was a game, a game he had gotten extremely good at, one which he was itching to play again.  
He halted before the chair, the robed and masked figures closed in around him leaving him in a circle of empty faces and swishing black robes. The Dark Lord shifted in his chair, his red eyed gaze regarded the man before him, boring like twin needles. The Reaper grinned again, flipping his scythe into a lazy spin he snapped out his other hand, caught it in mid- rotation and flowed into a deep bow in one movement. Grey eyes stabbed into red ones; "What do you wish of me? Master."  
Voldemort's pale face broke into a sinister grin. "So, you are willing to serve me then?" There was a rustle and a whisper among the surrounding Death Eaters, but he silenced it with a look.  
"Thanks to you I'm here," the Reaper ran his hand along the razor edge of the scythe blade, "and you've given me an excellent toy, reminds me of the old days." he looked up challengingly, "You keep me happy, and you get whatever you want." "Very good," Voldemort rose and extended his hand, "For your fealty, I give you this." He held out a black wand, it looked as though it was made from ash blackened wood. The Reaper laughed in sheer delight, taking the wand and sliding it into the scythe handle. "Ahhh, my old friend, partner of mayhem and misery, oh this is going to be fun." Voldemort cackled, "Here is your first assignment." 


	6. Chapter 5: Learning to Deal

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter  
  
Chapter Five: Learning to Deal  
Harry and Ron burst out of the front door, Ginny and Dean were already outside, Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen muttering something about ruddy horns and banging pots together.  
On the front drive was a shiny black car, like a much newer version of the Ministry cars Harry had once rode in to Kings Cross Station in his third year. Mr. Weasley sat in the front seat, laying on the horn enthusiastically. Hermione was pulling her trunk out of the back seat while Crookshanks spat and ran from the car as fast as he could.  
"Wow, Ron," Harry exclaimed, thunderstruck, "how did your dad get that?"  
"Special gift from Fudge," Ron said over the noise, "supposedly for all the years he's put in at his Department, but really it was just a peace offering, I hear Kingsley's been promoted too."  
"He didn't promote your dad though." said Harry darkly, thinking of the stupid Minister of Magic who had made life so difficult for him last year. "That's a bit of a slight."  
"Well," Ron said smugly, "don't be too sure, there might be some openings for dad soon."  
"What do you mean?" asked Harry suspiciously.  
"Can't say," Ron grinned, "might jinx it, but just keep an eye on the Daily Prophet."  
Harry decided to let the matter rest; it couldn't be anything bad anyway. Besides the sight of Hermione hurrying towards them, bushy brown hair flying, drove it from his mind.  
"Harry!" she squealed, giving him tight hug, which Harry returned rather breathlessly. "It's wonderful to see you! How are you? Oh, that's a silly question isn't it? Anyhow, it is great you're here!"  
"Good to see you too Hermione." gasped Harry, who was feeling rather winded from being greeted so forcefully twice in the last half hour. He seized her trunk while she turned to Ron.  
"Er. Hello Hermione," Ron said, looking a bit nervous, "Had a good holiday?"  
Hermione smiled at him, "Just fine Ron, thanks, lovely to see you again." She didn't hug him.  
"Right," replied Ron, looking either disappointed or relieved, Harry couldn't tell, "Well, shall we go inside then?"  
"Sure." Replied Hermione, smiling fondly at the Burrow, she waved to Ginny, who smiled happily and they both gave each other an enthusiastic girlish hug while chatting at a very fast pace.  
"I'll just take this," Ginny appropriated the trunk from a surprised Harry.  
"We've got some things to talk about, you boys," Hermione said to them mock condescendingly, "see you a little later ok?" She looked apprehensively at Harry, as though worried about him, but he mustered a smile, not wanting to be coddled.  
"You go ahead, we'll be fine."  
"We will? Asked Ron, before he caught himself, "I mean. We will. Ye, you two go on."  
"Laughing quietly in that mysterious way girls do they went off toward the Burrow, leaving the three boys and an awkward silence behind. Harry was afraid to turn around, but he did anyway. "So." he said, before he saw the other two and halted.  
"So." said Dean, determinedly not taking his eyes off the oak tree past Harry's shoulder. Ron said nothing, but was grimacing at the ground as though the sight of it offended him.  
They were saved by an earsplitting shout from behind them which made them all jump. "Arthur! Stop laying on that cursed horn and come in the house for Merlin's sake!" Mrs. Weasley was standing in the doorway looking at the car with deep dislike, "You too boys!"  
Mr. Weasley jumped, "Of course Molly dear! Coming," he immediately scurried out of the car, after giving the steering wheel an affectionate pat. "Fascinating contraption, really! Hello Harry! Good to have you back, doing all right?"  
"Fine thanks, nice car," Harry said, grinning at the disheveled Mr. Weasley.  
His face took on a dreamy quality, "Isn't it? Quite amazing really, much better than the old Anglia, you won't believe some of the things they've thought of since then! Fascinating, fascinating." he trailed off as they drew into Mrs. Weasley's hearing range.  
Mrs. Weasley called the girls down for dinner and they all sat down at the table. They were just about to begin when Ron's older brother Bill came in the back door. He looked in a terrible hurry, waving to everyone in a haphazard way and shouting, "Hello all!" rather louder than he needed to. He was dressed a little more conservatively now, but the ponytail was as long as ever and the fang still hung defiantly from his ear. He still maintained that somewhat wild air he always had.  
"On duty tonight Bill?" asked Mr. Weasley from behind a mountainous pile of turkey and mashed potatoes.  
"No dad, can't talk though, got to run, I'm late! Fleur will have a fit if I show up without being ready to tutor!" Bill said, summoning a few small books from upstairs.  
"Why don't you just call it a date like everyone else?" asked Ron around a mouthful of turkey.  
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley swatted him lightly, but Harry grinned, and he kept on grinning when he saw Bill smiling too. Mr. Weasley avoided his wife's eye, seemingly wanting to be exempt from having to discipline Ron too. Hermione looked disgruntled but Ginny smiled at Dean, who returned a rather weak one. Bill swept up the books, kissed his mother, waved to everyone and hurried out the door.  
After dinner Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to Ron's room. Harry and Ron were talking animatedly about the next Quidditch season and replacing the lost players. Hermione however, seemed pensively silent, Harry watched her apprehensively, she usually got that look on her face when she was thinking too hard about something he didn't want to discuss.  
Sure enough as soon as Ron's door closed she interrupted their conversation. "Quite a lot of talent to replace." Ron was saying when Hermione coughed pretentiously and he fell silent.  
"So," she began tentatively but seriously, as if not sure what she was going to say, just sure that it was important. "How are you Harry?" Ron immediately grew serious faced. Harry's insides seemed to fold in on themselves; of course she wanted to talk about this.  
"I'm. all right." He said, she wasn't going to be satisfied with that he knew, but he said it anyway, he didn't want to be doing this.  
She folded her arms and looked hard at him so his resolve shook like a leaf, "'All right?' Is that all? We're here, you know. We're here to help you Harry, I know there's more to it than just 'all right.'"  
"Hermione." Ron began, looking concernedly at Harry.  
"No Ron," she replied forcefully, "don't, he needs to talk about it, don't shush, he can't just carry it on his own."  
"And what precisely am I supposed to be carrying?" said Harry querulously.  
"Oh, come off it Harry!" Hermione replied, rounding on him, "You can't fool us, can he Ron?" Ron said nothing, she continued in an exasperated voice, "You can't have gone through all that and not be hurting and you have to let that out! It just tears you up on the inside."  
"Oh and you would know I suppose?" shot back Harry.  
Hermione looked slightly taken aback, but now Ron stepped to the fore, "Oy Harry, don't get angry now, she's just."  
"Pushing," Harry cut him off, "she's pushing me places I don't want to go."  
"But you have to go there Harry," Hermione pressed with an earnestness that annoyed Harry even more, "it's there, you've got to get rid of it." Harry's temper exploded.  
"ALL RIGHT!" he shouted, sure the whole house could now hear him, but not really caring, "ALL RIGHT! You wanted to hear it, here it is, you were right ok?!!"  
Ron looked horrified, Hermione, shocked, "Harry, no I." she began but Harry drowned her out.  
"You were right about The Department of Mysteries, is that what you wanted to hear?!! You were right about Voldemort knowing me; you were right about it being a trap!! But most of all," he quieted a little, "most of all you were right about me, I have got a 'saving people thing' I acted the hero, it was stupid and I lost Sirius because of it. It was all my fault and if you said that you'd be right too." He stared at the floor, not daring to look up, there was utter silence.  
His voice when it came was low and bitter and seemed not to come from him at all, "So there it is, you were right about everything, gold star, full points to you. Be happy knowing that everything you said was the complete truth and I was just the one too stupid to listen, I bet you feel real good about that one huh?" The silence was complete, even Pigwidgeon and Hedwig were quiet.  
Slowly Harry raised his head; Ron was standing slack, as though he could barely hold himself up, staring at Harry his eyes wide with horror and anguish. Hermione stood next him, both her hands tightly covering her mouth, her face drained of all color, tears poured silently from her eyes. The sight of the two of them looking at him like that tore it for Harry. He turned away, putting both hands on the windowsill, squeezing as tight as he could, the void inside him tearing at his very soul. His shoulders began to shake, his vision blurred so that the world became indistinct. When he spoke this time it seemed to come from the very center of that great swirling cloud of pain. "I.I'm sorry," his voice shook so badly he said it again, "I'm sorry," he couldn't seem to breathe, he couldn't see. He just knew they were going to turn and leave him there, he would deserve it after what he had said, they would go, he just knew it. "I'm so sorry."  
Then Hermione's arms encircled him from behind, "It's okay Harry, it's okay," he turned, burying his face in that frizzy brown hair, and holding her tightly afraid the void would sweep her away. He felt Ron's long gangly arms around them both, squeezing so tight it was like the three of them occupied the same space in the universe. His knees gave way and they all sank to the floor, Ron said nothing just held on, comforting him with his presence, Hermione continued to whisper encouragingly. Bowing his head Harry Potter cried for the first time since Sirius' loss. 


	7. Chapter 6: What Now?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter  
  
Chapter Six: What Now?  
Harry didn't know how long they stayed there, holding on as the pain tried to sweep him away. He cried until he had no tears left in him, and then he cried silently. The void was slipping away though, by inches, tiny fractions fell away with every tear until there was just a small knot of blackness left, one that refused to die, but no longer threatened to overwhelm him.  
Finally he pulled away from them and grinned the weakest grin he had ever put on, but at least he was smiling. "Thanks," he wiped his stinging eyes, "it's true, I needed that."  
"No problem mate" replied Ron, helping Hermione to her feet, "any time." Hermione nodded as well, her expression serene, if a little pale.  
Harry shook his head ruefully, "I'll bet the whole house heard me huh?"  
Hermione smiled, "Not quite, I put a silencing charm on the stairs during dinner; I don't think anyone else was up here so nobody but us heard."  
Harry nodded, "Good."  
There was a roaring sound from the front lawn; Harry looked up, "Is your dad going somewhere Ron?"  
Ron was listening; his head cocked to one side, "No," he replied, his expression puzzled, "that's not the car."  
"It sounds like a motorcycle," remarked Hermione, "shall we go see?"  
"Okay." said Harry, moving to the door and opening it. Ginny was standing on the landing, looking his way. Harry pulled up short when he saw her. Had she been there all along? He searched her face, but got nothing, he decided to act nonchalant. "Hey Ginny, what's that outside?"  
Ginny looked slightly unsure of herself, increasing his suspicion, but she replied quite cheerily, "I don't know, we'll just have to see I guess, come on!" and she was gone in an eye blink, leaving Harry to wonder.  
They trooped downstairs at a more leisurely pace; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing in the front door, with Dean behind them. Hermione smiled when she saw him, "Hello Dean, sorry I didn't say it before, caught up in the moment you know?"  
Dean smiled, "Yeah, sure, good to see you." Ron made a growling noise in his throat and Dean jumped. Hermione elbowed him and they passed by out onto the lawn. The noise was even louder.  
"Ow! Hermione, what was that for?" asked Ron, rubbing his side.  
"It was for you being a great prat, that's what," hissed Hermione, "you really need to reconsider your intolerance."  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ron sniffed.  
"Oh come on! You." she halted as a huge black motorcycle, followed by two brooms landed in front of them. Perched on top of the seat was none other than Remus Lupin. Behind him were Fred and George, looking stylish and fit in fine robes.  
"Hello everyone," said Lupin, jumping off the motorcycle, "had a good summer so far?"  
Ron just goggled at the motorcycle, Hermione said weakly, "Remus, what?"  
"It was left to me," said Lupin, smiling at the awestruck looks on their faces, his robes looked much better these days and he himself looked well. "I met these two over London and we decided to travel together, I've got news if you want to go inside."  
"Hey Harry," Fred winked at him while George beamed, "come by our room later, we've got something to discuss." Harry nodded apprehensively, hoping they weren't going to ask him to test their latest products. They both picked up their brooms and headed around the house, adroitly avoiding Mrs. Weasley, who was looking at them sternly, probably because they had missed dinner.  
"Evening Remus," Mrs. Weasley beamed, 'sorry you just missed dinner, can I get you anything?"  
"No thank you Molly," Replied Lupin, shaking hands with Mr. Weasley, "I've just come by to lay your fears to rest; I knew everyone would be wanting to know what happened at Arabella's."  
He sat down at the table, Mrs. Weasley looked slightly apprehensive, "Ginny, go upstairs dear."  
"Awwww, mum."  
"I don't want to hear it, upstairs now."  
Ginny glared, but went, Dean followed more docilely, looking curiously over his shoulder. Mrs. Weasley made sure they were gone and then went back into the kitchen to prepare drinks where she could still hear, but was out of sight. Mr. Weasley followed somewhat reluctantly, speeding his pace when she clicked her tongue. Harry was sure he saw a couple pairs of extendable ears snake down the stairs. Perhaps Fred, George and Ginny were listening right now.  
Harry, Ron and Hermione pulled up chairs and sat down at the table across from Lupin. Lupin sighed and began, "Well there's not too much to tell really, four Death Eaters attacked Mrs. Figg's house earlier this evening." Hermione didn't seem surprised by this news; Harry assumed Ginny must have told her. "Luckily Mundungus saw them coming, and managed to seal himself and Mrs. Figg inside before they approached. He managed to get a message out to Sturgis before he went though. As you know he found us and we arrived just as they broke into her house."  
"Were they okay?" asked Harry concernedly.  
Lupin smiled, "Yes, they were all right, Mundungus will be in St. Mungo's for the next few days, but it wasn't too serious. Mrs. Figg has been removed to safer premises." Harry sighed in relief, they were okay, that was good.  
"Incidentally" Lupin continued, "It was lucky we removed you when we did Harry, it seems they staged the attack with the sole purpose of drawing you out of number four to help Mrs. Figg."  
"It was all a ploy to get at me?" Harry asked, Hermione gasped. Lupin nodded.  
Harry thought about this, it could have worked, he thought, I wouldn't have just been able to stand by and let them kill her, yes it was a very good thing he had been gone. He didn't want to be trapped again for acting the hero.  
He remembered the odd conversation on the road to the Burrow, "Did Tonks make it there in time?" he asked Lupin.  
Lupin frowned, "Tonks? Harry what are you talking about?"  
"I met her on the road, right after you left, she was waiting for me." Harry said, unsure, Lupin didn't seem to understand. "I told her about the attack and she ran off to help."  
"Harry," Lupin said slowly, "You can't have seen Tonks."  
"Why not?" asked Harry, taken aback.  
"Because she was injured in the fight at Azkaban." Lupin replied, looking keenly at Harry, Hermione gasped again, and Ron shifted in his chair. "She's been in St. Mungo's for the past three weeks; she doesn't get out until next week."  
Harry stared at him, the person had sounded exactly like Tonks in terms of expression and tone, but even he had noticed the lack of clumsiness. "Then who did I see?"  
"What did she look like?" asked Lupin, Ron and Hermione leaned forward expectantly.  
"He," corrected Harry, "it was a he." And he described the stranger to Lupin. As he did so, Lupin's face turned darker and darker with concentration. When Harry had finished, he got up and began pacing seemingly trying to puzzle something out. Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged. Hermione raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask Lupin what was wrong, but at that moment he stopped pacing and hurried to the fireplace. "Molly, may I use the fire?" he called into the kitchen.  
"Of course Remus," she called back, poking her head into the room, "is something wrong?"  
"Could be," Lupin replied, taking a pinch of floo powder and throwing it into the fire. "I think I just found our wayward Order member. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's office!" he shouted, pulled out a red and gold feather from his pocket, swirled the flames with it, and then thrust his head into them.  
"What do you suppose that's about?" whispered Ron, staring animatedly at the fireplace.  
"Who knows," replied Hermione, "he's obviously talking to Dumbledore about who you saw on the road Harry. And incidentally Harry a metamorphmagus can only change her features not her whole body. Did you hear what he said?"  
"Yeah, a 'wayward Order member'." whispered Harry, recalling the look of the man, choosing to ignore his mistake.  
"Clearly one they haven't seen in a while." Hermione remarked thoughtfully. "I wonder what it all means." She got her answer sooner than expected.  
Lupin withdrew his head from the flames and stepped back. However the emerald glow did not die, it continued. It swirled and crackled for a minute before opening, and out stepped Dumbledore himself. "Good evening," he said, beaming at the awestruck trio, his face turned slightly grave, "I am afraid I have some serious business to discuss with you." 


	8. Chapter 7: The Story of the Reaper

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any character you've seen before.  
  
Chapter Seven: The Story of the Reaper  
Mrs. Weasley poked her head into the dining room again, when she saw Dumbledore she gave a little squeak of surprise and hurried in. "Professor Dumbledore! So nice to see you, you said you have something to discuss? Can I get you anything?"  
Dumbledore smiled, "Some of your excellent tea would be nice Molly, thank you. Also if Miss Ganger will remove her silencing charm, I would like for you to call down your daughter, this concerns her too." Hermione jumped, took out her wand, muttered the countercharm and sank back in her chair blushing.  
Mrs. Weasley looked surprised, but dutifully called Ginny down, she arrived, looked curiously at Professor Dumbledore and took a seat next to Hermione. Mr. Weasely appeared with a tray of tea.  
"Now Harry," Dumbledore said, sitting back seemingly at ease looking at Harry through his old, half-moon glasses, "Remus tells me that you encountered a person on the road outside today."  
"Yes sir." replied Harry.  
"Well, that man is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, his name is Darius Raider." Mrs. Weasley let out a little gasp, her eyes went wide. Dumbledore did not pause, "The reason why we find this so interesting is that Darius has been missing for about two weeks now and this is the first we have heard of anyone seeing him at all."  
"Who is he sir?" asked Harry, "Why was he waiting for me?"  
"Your first question I will answer, Harry, the other, I have only theories. All I can say is that you were extremely lucky to have met him face to face and still be alive to speak of it." There was a collective heightening of tension in the room. "You see Harry that man you met, in all likelihood, was not Darius Raider, not completely."  
"I don't understand, you just said."  
"Allow me to explain Harry, this may take a while, but I want all of you to have a clear picture of what we face. Darius Raider is a two hundred and fifty year old vampire." Hermione gasped, Ron's eyes widened and Ginny gave a small squeak.  
"But sir," Hermione interrupted, astonished "you said he was a member of the Order, how could a vampire be a member?"  
"As I said I will explain," Dumbledore replied, sipping his tea, "Darius Raider was turned into a vampire at the age of twenty four, he then embarked upon a reign of terror throughout the world that was unsurpassed by all but the most powerful of vampires. For a hundred and fifty years he killed, turned and tortured his way across every know country in the world, brushing his way past all attempts to stop him. Perhaps you have heard of him because of this. Although his real name is never mentioned in the history books, Darius always had a trademark; he had a penchant for using a scythe on his victims. Hence his name became simply the Reaper."  
Everyone but Ginny gasped this time. Harry remembered his essay, the Reaper was certainly not the worst vampire to ever walk the earth, but he had been terrible in his own right. Not that he had paid too much attention to it, the Reaper had disappeared after a hundred and fifty years, just completely vanished. To have actually met and talked to him on the road outside the Burrow seemed preposterous. And yet Dumbledore was telling him that was exactly what he had done.  
"Now I know you have questions, but I ask that you save them until I am finished. After that hundred and fifty years little is know about the Reaper, after exhaustive research I managed to piece it together. The Reaper was here in Britain when it happened. A great witch, no one really knows who, tracked him down and stopped him cold. She cast a most powerful and terrible curse, I believe it crippled her for life, but the end result was that Darius' humanity was restored to him."  
"That doesn't sound so bad." remarked Ron, but Hermione elbowed him and he fell silent.  
"Indeed Mr. Weasley it sounds harmless enough." said Dumbledore, laying down his tea cup. Ron looked reproachfully at Hermione, who avoided his gaze, "However, consider this, what if you couldn't feel pain or regret or guilt for a hundred and fifty years of atrocities and then suddenly reacquired all of those feelings and emotions in a rush, what do you think that would do to a person? I do not need to tell you that I believe it drove him insane for a long period of time, and then, the Reaper was no more, Darius faded into the shadows brooding on his deeds and fighting against the vampire still inside of him. For another fifty years he was invisible, nothing to mark his terrible suffering. Then after an exhaustive search, through obscure records of long forgotten history and some rather neat spellwork I pieced together the path he had taken and found him in a tiny, dingy flat in Glasgow."  
"Why did you want to find him Professor?" asked Hermione, her eyes wide, "Wasn't he dangerous?"  
"No Miss Granger, he was not, his brooding reflection on his deeds had robbed Darius of the will to kill, a powerful instinct in a vampire. Indeed when I found him he was terribly weak from lack of blood and nearly insane with guilt. As to why I wanted to find him, I believed he could still be of use to the world; perhaps atone for the suffering he had caused, perhaps some day find redemption."  
"I'll bet he loved that idea." remarked Ron. Dumbledore smiled sadly.  
"He was not very receptive to it at first; it is very hard for one who cannot forgive himself to believe in receiving forgiveness from others." For some reason he looked at Harry when he said this, "It took me the better part of two years before he would even consider coming with me. Unfortunately I was distracted at that critical period, the first war with Voldemort, (here several of the Weasley's choked on their tea.) but as it turned out, it was just the spur I needed. Witnessing the deeds of Voldemort, (choke) one easily as evil as the Reaper himself if not more, served as a very effective goad for Darius, He had just agreed to help me and join the Order when Harry brought the war to a close."  
Harry carefully avoided the eyes of everyone in the room. He didn't want to be reminded of his hero status; he felt it was quite undeserved. He stared at Dumbledore as he continued.  
"After the first war Darius became a wanderer, I did not keep track of him all of the time, however, I did note that he was traveling all over, attempting to find some peace by helping others. He was only partially successful; as soon as he heard of the rise of Voldemort (more choking.) he returned and offered me his services. Since the war was beginning and he did not want anything too complicated I assigned him the night shift of watching over you Harry. His vampiric abilities can be quite extraordinary and I managed to find him his old wand from over two hundred years ago so he could perform magic again."  
"He was a wizard?" asked Ron, "No vampire I've ever heard of can use spells."  
"Most can't," Lupin answered him, his expertise on dark creatures kicking in. "Most vampires are killed before they become too old and in their first couple of decades they are little more than animals. But, every now and again, a particularly powerful or talented person will be made a vampire and they can retain enough of their magical prowess to do spells. Darius I believe can do basic spells, defensive and attack spells, apparate, and walks in the sunlight, am I correct Headmaster?"  
Dumbledore nodded, "The trouble is the Reaper can do that too. Although I believe he preferred to use a different wand hidden in the handle of his scythe. You see Harry, just as it is possible to give a vampire back his humanity; it is also possible to take it away."  
"Is that what happened?" asked Mrs. Weasley, looking terrified at the very thought.  
"I am afraid so Molly," Dumbledore replied, the tension in the room shot up again, Harry felt like a lead weight had hit him in the stomach. He had been standing within two feet of a legendary vampire, and yet he had not been attacked. The vampire had merely pretended to be someone else, like he was gauging Harry's character, though that made no sense.  
"Yes it is much easier to do in these modern days unfortunately, if one knows the technique, and I believe Voldemort knew."  
"Voldemort?!" Lupin seemed incredulous, "He willingly let out the Reaper? And I thought he was smarter than that."  
"He's that bad?" asked Ron, flabbergasted.  
"He is not more powerful than Voldemort," Dumbledore stated firmly, "however he is by very nature a treacherous being, and as such has no loyalty other than to his own amusement. Voldemort will have trouble controlling him and I believe he fears an out of control Reaper as much as we do since the Reaper will have no qualms about destroying Voldemort's plans simply for the fun of it."  
"Then Voldemort must think he can control him for a short while at least," said Hermione shrewdly, "which means he has a specific role in mind for him."  
"You have hit upon my thinking exactly Miss Granger," Dumbledore smiled at her, "remind me to give points to Gryffindor when we arrive at school." Hermione smiled in pleasure. "I believe Voldemort has a specific task in mind for the Reaper and that is why I have been telling you this."  
Mrs. Weasley spoke up, "Headmaster, perhaps we shouldn't."  
"No Molly," Dumbledore interrupted, "they have a right to know the danger, and I will not make the mistake of treating them like children." Well, this seemed a great improvement over his earlier stance in Harry's eyes. Dumbledore looked seriously at each of the four through his spectacles. "I believe he intends to set the Reaper against you four."  
  
Well that's Chapter Seven. Thank you very much to I love guitars, for my very first review! That is very extravagant praise, I hope you'll continue to read and review for me, I hope I won't let you down! 


	9. Chapter 8: One Thing After Another

Disclaimer: Don't own it. blah blah blah.  
  
Here's Chapter 8, thank you to theauthorwhowrites for that review, I'll try to be a little more creative, I hope I can live up to your expectations.  
  
Chapter Eight: One Thing After Another  
Hermione gave a muffled squeal; Ron twitched convulsively and hit his knee on the table. Ginny, just stared wide eyed, off into space, as if trying to readjust her perception of the world and failing miserably. Mrs. Weasley's face drained of all color and she leaned heavily on her husband for support. Harry surprised even himself by taking this news in his stride. He had been sure from the start of the conversation that it would mean something like that, it always ended in something like that. But there was still something puzzling about a centuries old vampire taking note of him.  
"But sir," he asked tentatively, "why would he be interested in us, I mean there are far more powerful and important people, I mean.," He shook his head in disbelief, "Why us?"  
"The answer is very simple Harry," Dumbledore frowned, "and I am afraid the blame lies with me again, if indirectly."  
"What?" everyone looked shocked.  
"I assigned him to guard you Harry, and as part of that assignment Darius took it upon himself to study you in great detail. That study included your relationships, your past, and character. It is a fault of his age that Darius believes he can know a person better than they know themselves, which is what he came to believe about you. He believed he knew the answers to your problems and looked down upon you and those around you because you, and they, could not see what he saw. Therefore the Reaper will be very interested in you and those around you Harry. It was a hallmark of his attacks that he would find someone, study them and then torment them in any way he could before killing them, it became a sort of sport for him. I am afraid that is what he will attempt to do with you, especially you four, he knows how much you mean to each other and what your history together is, so be on your guard. There is no more danger now than there was before; I simply wished to warn you so you may be prepared for what may follow. Voldemort knew he would have to set the Reaper a task he would enjoy or the Reaper would not work for him. Therefore I believe he decided to let him loose upon you four, take you away from the Reaper and exact his revenge personally."  
A stunned silence greeted this speech; everyone was looking at everyone else with mingled fear and bewilderment. Finally Harry spoke up, "Thank you sir, and don't blame yourself for this, there was no way you could have known."  
"Thank you Harry," Dumbledore smiled at him and got to his feet, "well, I really must be going, lots to do you know." He smiled reassuringly at the gathering. "I advise you to be vigilant, but don't let this news spoil your time together; we hope to have Darius back before too long, the Order is looking in to it as we speak. Good night and I'll see you at the beginning of next term."  
They all waved, or muttered, or just said nothing as he strode back to the fireplace and disappeared in a flash of green and red flame. There was a long and poignant pause after he left. Mrs. Weasley was the first to come out of it, "Well," her voice brooked no disobedience, "I think that's enough for one night, everyone up to bed now, I want you all asleep very soon."  
They filed up the stairs in silence, when they passed Fred and George's room the door flew open and both of their heads poked out. "Harry," George whispered, "come on in, we've got stuff to tell you."  
"On top of all that news you just got." Fred grinned.  
"You were listening?" Hermione asked incredulously.  
"No, of course not," George rolled his eyes, "we just read your mind in the split second we've been looking at you."  
"Clear off, all of you," Fred cut in as Ron opened his mouth, "this is business of a private nature."  
Hermione gave them a dark look, and then turned to Harry, "Goodnight Harry, Ron, see you in the morning. Be sure."  
"Yeah, I'll be in before Mrs. Weasley gets up here." Harry said smiling as he exchanged looks with Ron and the twins.  
"G'night Hermione." Ron yawned and continued up the stairs.  
Hermione cast another reproachful look around and then followed him, Ginny turned to go after her. "Good night Ginny." Harry said, "It's good to see you again."  
She did not look at him, "Good night Harry." And then she was gone. Harry stood undecided for a moment before turning back to the twins. Both were looking at him with suspiciously knowing looks. "What?" he asked.  
"Nothing." Fred said, grinning and nudging George.  
"Absolutely nothing." George sniggered, then grabbed Harry's arm, "C'mon badger inside before mum sees you and hits the roof."  
Inside the room was luridly colored and so bright it hurt Harry's eyes. Burn marks and ominous looking stains colored the walls, floor and ceiling. There was a table full of odd looking devices, some Harry recognized from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and some completely new.  
"Great new stuff," Fred sighed, gazing at the table with a kind of dreamy pride. "Look, biting snuffboxes, made em out of the one we pinched from Headquarters."  
"So are you Order members now?" asked Harry, trying not to think about Grimmauld Place.  
"Yep," said George, stretching languidly out on his shaky bed, "in the sly only, we're too well known now to be open about it."  
"What's Dumbledore got you doing?" Harry inquired curiously, wondering how two joke shop owners would be able to help.  
"Keeping an ear to the ground of course," replied Fred, as though it were obvious, "just watching the comings and goings in Diagon Alley, and especially keeping watch on Knockturn Alley. You'd be surprised at how much scuttlebutt we are in a position to hear."  
"But, we hope to do more," said George, sitting up, "much more."  
"Which is where our business proposition comes in," cut in Fred, "we'd like to expand, try and get some jokes shops going in other countries with magic schools, just think of how many students don't have skiving snackboxes. On top of that we'd have an international network of information gatherers for the Order. Lee has already agreed to work as a regional manager."  
"All we need now is a region for him to manage," finished George, "and since you supplied the funds that got us on our feet, we thought you'd like to become a part of the action."  
"Nothing active of course," Fred smiled at the surprised look on Harry's face, "we know you've got enough on your plate already with school and. other stuff. So we thought you could just supply some capital and you get ten percent of all profits, same as Lee."  
"But," Harry stammered, "I.I'm glad you want to work with me, but I really haven't got enough money to be doing this and pay for school at the same time."  
"Ah, yes well." George grinned, "We've got an answer to that too. You see Lupin confided in us about something he was going to tell you, but we begged him to let us be the ones to break the news."  
"News?" asked Harry, confused.  
"I suppose you noticed the motor bike?" asked Fred with the air of a lecturer.  
Harry laughed, "It was kind of hard to miss."  
"And you noticed Lupin's attire is looking up these days?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well," George proceeded with the air of one holding a ticking time bomb. "It was part of his inheritance, Sirius left it to him mate." 


	10. Chapter 9: The Inheritance

Disclaimer: I'm not rich, so obviously I don't own Harry Potter  
  
Chapter Nine: The Inheritance  
Harry froze, that idea had never occurred to him, but of course Sirius would have had earthly possessions to give away, it only stood to reason. Fred and George were looking at him apprehensively, George tentatively held out a letter. It was addressed to Harry, in Sirius' scrawly handwriting.  
Slowly his hands shaking Harry reached out and took the letter, and tore it open. Inside was a long parchment of writing from Sirius, a bank note from Gringotts, and what looked like a deed of some kind. His eyes misting, Harry began to read. Dear Harry,  
If you are reading this then I am no longer with you. I hope my loss has not meant the end of your world. Know that I died happy because I had been exonerated of the crimes I was accused of in the eyes of my godson. That was what was most important to me Harry, that you knew the truth. I wish I could have stayed and saw you through to the end, but I know you'll be all right, don't grieve for me too much, there are some things in this world worth giving your life for Harry and this cause was one of them. I hope you can be proud of my sacrifice and remember me fondly as the godfather who loved you.  
Now to business, I've left some things to you, I really haven't got a whole lot, but basically it was divided between you and Moony. I've left him my old motorbike, I'm sure you'd get more enjoyment out of it than him, but he always used to help me work on it, dead smart he was. Also I've divided my Gringotts vault in between the two of you, half and half, I wasn't sure how much that came down to but it should be a reasonable amount of gold. Use it wisely Harry, I know Moony could sure use the capital; he's had a rough couple of years. Also I've left you my house, Moony's already got one, I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse, but I hope you'll get more out of it than I did, just promise me you'll find a way to rid it of that tapestry and that bloody portrait ok?  
Know always that I am side by side with your parents now and we are always looking down on you with pride and love.  
  
Your loving Godfather,  
  
Sirius  
  
Slowly Harry closed the letter, pressing it tightly into his pocket he stared out the window into the setting sun, visions of a black dog barking joyfully and chasing its tail in front of Grimmauld Place danced before his eyes. He smiled and looked down on the other two papers. One was a bank note informing him that four thousand, two hundred and sixty four galleons, six sickles and five knuts had been transferred to his account from an unknown sender. His eyes widened, a reasonable amount of gold indeed.  
The second was the deed to number twelve Grimmauld Place, Harry wasn't sure how he felt about this, he remembered that dingy place and he wasn't sure he ever wanted to see it again. It reminded him so much of Sirius, but as he thought about it, he found that he didn't mind thinking about Sirius anymore. He concentrated on the good things, the happy things; that barking laugh, just like a dog, his head grinning from the Hogwarts fire place, him chasing the train as a black dog. All those memories combined into a warm knot inside of him, one to help him combat the black knot of sorrow still residing in his chest.  
He looked up at Fred and George, but didn't say anything; he got the feeling he didn't have to. He put away the deed and held up the bank note, "How much do I need to join?"  
Fred and George broke into grins, "I'd say a thousand galleons would do us right, eh?" said Fred.  
"Yes, for old time's sake." George nodded grinning.  
"Harry laughed genuinely, remembering his bullying to get the twins to accept his Triwizard winnings at the end of fourth year. "He wrote a quick transfer note George provided, Harry suspected they'd been expecting him to say yes, and sent it off with the Hedwig, whom George had also appropriated.  
"Excellent!" cried Fred, pumping Harry's hand while George pounded him on the back, "France, Germany, the USA! Watch out lawful wizards everywhere, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is coming to town!"  
They all hurrahed spectacularly and then Harry took his leave while the twins both bent over a list feverishly already planning the venture like their next big prank.  
He went up to Ron's room suffused in a warm glow, when he entered Ron jumped up. "What was it about?" he asked eagerly.  
"A business proposition," grinned Harry, "I'm now a partner in the international chain of WWW."  
Ron goggled while Harry looked around, "Where's Dean?"  
Ron snorted, "Percy's room probably fits him really well."  
Harry laughed and turned in; beneath the covers he squeezed the letter in his hands, and fell into peaceful slumber, bark like laughter and exploding WWW fireworks ringing in his ears. 


	11. Chapter 10: More Feelings

Chapter Ten: More Feelings  
Harry awoke the next morning to Mr. Weasley's tooting departure for work in his car. "Ruddy horn," grumbled Ron, turning over, "never lets up."  
Harry yawned pulled on his glasses and clothes and stood up, hurling his pillow at Ron's head. "Come on sleepy, time to get up." Ron snorted grumpily, but obliged with only a little grumbling. Harry grinned good- naturedly and strode down the stairs, feeling a hundred pounds lighter as he squeezed the letter in his pocket. Maybe the darkness would come back later, but today it couldn't touch him.  
Mrs. Weasley was already downstairs serving up heaping portions of bacon and eggs to a snappy looking Fred and George as they prepared for another day in Diagon Alley. Ginny was sitting alongside them with her nose in an issue of the Quibbler, the front page of which Harry noticed contained an article by none other that Rita Skeeter, stated as the Quibbler's first paid journalist.  
"Good morning Harry!" cried Mrs. Weasley brightly, when she saw him, as though the grim events of last night had never happened, "sleep all right?"  
"Very well thanks!" Harry replied in the same tone, sitting down and helping himself to a little of everything. Ron piled on the food with his usual gusto. Fred and George quickly shoveled down their food, kissed their mother goodbye and hurried out the door to the broom shed.  
Hermione came down looking slightly frazzled, but awake. She and Ginny immediately fell into conversation, after a while though she opened the Daily Prophet and examined it closely. "Aha!" she cried joyfully, making everyone jump, "Come here, you've got to see this!"  
Harry, Ron, and Ginny leaned over her shoulders and read the article on the second page.  
  
Trial of Senior Undersecretary  
  
Today the Wizengamot returned a guilty verdict on charges of conspiracy to murder, misuse of authority and attempted use of the unforgiveable curses against Senior Undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge. The sentence is to be announced tomorrow. According to recent testimony and evidence Madame Umbridge was responsible for an order given to two of the Dementors of Azkaban months before their revolt. The order stated that they were to travel to Little Whingeing and kill none other than Harry Potter the Boy Who Lived!  
"Apparently she was looking for a way to silence him from speaking the truth or at the very least discredit him." stated Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, "she believed him to be delusional and decided to take matters into her own hands." Madame Umbridge was unavailable for comment but Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was quoted as saying he was "shocked and appalled by Madame Umbridge's actions." (For notes on his former reaction upon hearing of the attack see page five.) Upon the guilty verdict Madame Umbridge was immediately removed from all Ministry posts, her wand was snapped and she was declared ineligible to perform magic of any type. Further sentencing will take place tonight.  
Her post as Senior Undersecretary was filled today, by nearly unanimous vote of the Wizengamot, by none other than Arthur Weasley of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Minister Fudge did not comment upon the appointment beyond a very brief note about Mr. Weasley's long and faithful service in his former office. "I feel very optimistic about the appointment," said Shacklebolt, "Arthur's a decent man who has worked long and hard for the little people out there. I'm hopeful he'll bring the right kind of stuff to the higher echelons of the Ministry at this critical time." Arthur Weasley will be informed of the new appointment and take up his duties when he arrives for work today. (More on page four)  
Harry grinned at Ron and Ginny, whose eyes were shining like stars. So that was why Mrs. Weasley had been so happy. "Well," said Hermione, folding up the paper, "there is justice in the world after all."  
"About time that cow got what she deserved." agreed Ron with grim satisfaction, Mrs. Weasley glared at him and he hid behind Harry, no mean feat considering his height. Harry however felt that Ron deserved praise instead of reproach. Just thinking about that conniving little toad of a person made his blood boil with rage. He hoped she never saw daylight again, rather harsh, but he was in no mood to be charitable.  
"I can't believe dad's finally getting a promotion." said Ginny, smiling happily.  
"My yes," agreed Mrs. Weasley, "all those years with Fudge holding the reins we'd never thought something like this would happen."  
"He deserves it," Said Harry smiling as everyone beamed at him, "he's done more than anyone." He couldn't wait to hear about it from Mr. Weasley.  
As they finished up their breakfast Ron spoke up, "Harry, get your broom and we'll go up to the pitch to fly!"  
"Great!" said Harry excitedly, he hadn't flown in ages. He bristled, remembering Professor Umbridge banning him from Quidditch for attacking Malfoy. He hurried over to the door and picked up his Firebolt.  
Hermione got up and hurried up the stairs saying she would be back down in a moment and not to leave without her. "Hurry up," Ron called after her disappearing form. "although," he added to Harry, "I don't see what she's going to do, she doesn't fly."  
Harry shrugged as they went out the door, "Be careful!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. Ginny came running up with three brooms, Ron took his Cleansweep and, to his disgust, Dean took one of Charlie's old brooms. Moments later Hermione came back out carrying her knitting needles, a fresh supply of wool and a book. Ginny smiled knowingly, Dean looked complacent, Harry rolled his eyes and Ron just looked flabbergasted. "You're bringing that?" he asked, incredulously. "You're bringing that to our Quidditch pitch?"  
Hermione looked at him scathingly; "Is there something wrong with that?" she asked in that falsely formal voice she always used when she had a problem with Ron. Ron opened his mouth, caught the look that passed between Harry and Ginny, and shut it again. They headed up to the empty paddock the Weasley's always used for brooms.  
Harry soared off into the sky; not too high, he had to stay below the trees, but still it was thrilling to be flying again. The others joined him and soon they were playing a makeshift game of Quidditch while Hermione sat contentedly below the goal posts reading while her needles flashed in front of her in a blur. Harry played Chaser with Ginny and Dean since they had no snitch for him to practice with, he didn't really need the practice anyway. Ginny had been a fair seeker last year, and she proved to be a competent flyer now, Harry knew he was better, but not by so much that it showed consistently. Ron apparently had practiced religiously over the summer, his Keeper skills had become much better, Harry rated him about as good as Oliver Wood had been in the year they won the Quidditch Cup.  
Dean could fly fairly well, but he showed more promise as a Beater than a Chaser in Harry's opinion. While he could pursue the Quaffle and follow other flyers very well he had problems with scoring, although it might have just been the fact that Ron was defending the hoops. Harry suggested that he try out for the Gryffindor team next season, Ron nearly toppled from his broom, but held his silence under Hermione's withering gaze supplemented by Ginny's glare.  
"Thanks Harry." Dean said grinning nervously, "I always wanted to make Beater, no chance while Fred and George were in though."  
"You should have tried out last year as a reserve," said Ginny, pulling alongside them and smiling at Dean in a way that made Harry's stomach drop for some reason. "Merlin knows you would have been better than Sloper or Kirke." Dean grinned; Ron sulked in the goal area.  
Eventually they tired and began heading back down. Ron hurried ahead of Dean glaring, Hermione gave an impatient snort and went after him, and soon the sounds of their bickering filled the air. Harry, Ginny and Dean fell back to give them some space. "Not much you can do until they stop I'm afraid." Ginny giggled.  
"I managed it once," said Harry, remembering his angry explosion at them earlier in fifth year. "But I'm not about to repeat it, it involved too much shouting." Dean laughed, Ginny giggled again, but it was halfhearted, as though she were unsure whether the comment was funny or not.  
Ron and Hermione were having their row right in front of the broom shed so they just leaned their brooms against the wall and went inside. Harry wrestled with himself, but decided he needed to do what he had been restraining himself from doing ever since he had seen Dean coming down the stairs. As they passed Ron's room he spoke up.  
"Can I talk to you?" he asked Ginny, indicating Ron's room.  
She looked surprised and Harry thought he saw some fear or uncertainty in her eyes, but in a second it was gone and she smiled. "Sure, Harry." She smiled at Dean, who looked curiously at them without any trace of suspicion; he went on to Percy's room and closed the door.  
They went inside and Harry closed the door, taking his time in doing so, trying to figure out what he was going to say. He turned around to look at Ginny, who was twisting her shimmering hair and looking at him in what seemed to be apprehension. This did not help Harry loosen his tongue.  
"I," he stopped as her liquid eyes turned towards him, swallowed and continued, "I wanted to thank you for, for what you did for me with that letter. It really helped to have someone understand, you know?"  
"It's nothing Harry," she smiled again; slight nervousness in her tone, Harry was confused by this. "glad that I could help you." She turned toward the door.  
"No," Harry took a step forward, trying to find the words, "I'm sorry, it's just you don't seem to know how much that meant to me, it, it pulled me out, helped me let go a little And I just wanted you to know that," he swallowed again, she definitely looked apprehensive now, "that you mean a lot to me." She said nothing, but her face fell and her fiery hair swept between them like a veil of scarlet tinged with gold. Harry, not understanding her reaction reached out for her hand endeavoring to help her understand, but she pulled back out of his reach.  
"I have to go Harry," she said, her voice strange, "stuff to do."  
"Ginny," he began.  
"I have to go." She turned and was gone, her hair flying behind her.  
Harry stood for a long moment before his shoulders sagged and he sank down onto his cot, what had just happened? She had been acting like he had said something wrong, had he? I must have, he thought, but she shouldn't read to much into that, I was just telling her how much it meant right? Right? He analyzed the conversation, perhaps it was just that he had said she meant a lot to him, she did, she was his friend.  
But that wasn't what you were talking about, a little voice in his head piped up, you were talking about something more. I was? Maybe. He thought about it more, but why had she reacted like she had? Harry had gotten used to the idea that Ginny liked him as a friend and sometimes more, it was just something he had taken for granted. Was that not the case? From outside he heard a shout;  
"I don't get it!" bellowed Ron, in frustration at Hermione's latest sally.  
Harry stared at the swinging door, "Me neither," he said quietly, "me neither." 


	12. Chapter 11: OWL Results

Chapter Eleven: O.W.L. Results  
Life at the Burrow was, as always, better than Privet Drive. But Harry wasn't used to the tension. Things between him and Ginny had been oddly formal, she didn't seem to treat him any differently they still had happy discussions about Quidditch or school, but she seemed to fix it so that someone else was always there with them. Usually it was Dean, and although he knew it was unjust Harry felt a building resentment against Dean's presence at the Burrow and was greatly relieved when he left a week later to go back home.  
Mr. Weasley had come home from work like a hero, everyone had cheered and laughed for what had seemed like hours, finally Mr. Weasley had been given his due! For the next couple of days he came home full of stories of new Muggle protection legislation he was working on and all the problems the Ministry would have to work through. "I've convinced Fudge we need to do more to protect Muggles from You-Know-Who and his minions, it really isn't right of us to just sit back and pick up the pieces, we need a more active role." He beamed, "Fudge is much more receptive to my ideas."  
"Maybe because he'd be sacked if he ever went against what Dumbledore or one of his supporters wanted ever again." whispered Hermione.  
After Dean left Hermione replaced Dean as Ginny's constant companion. When she wasn't reading, knitting, fighting with Ron or talking to Harry she was seen giggling and chatting with Ginny.  
"Those two are thick as thieves," stated Ron, looking from his window into the afternoon sunshine at the two girls degnoming the garden and giggling over the book written by Professor Lockhart. "and I can't believe that she still fancies that empty-headed git." He snarled hurling another dart at his dartboard, a new addition to the room.  
Harry rather liked the dartboard; it was covered with pockmarked photos of people. Chief among them was Professor Umbridge and Harry had spent a delightful half hour trying to put a hole in the fat, toad-like woman, quite enjoying seeing her dodging and ducking around as missiles flew her way. The rest of the board contained photos of; Draco Malfoy, (Whose photos had "Weasley is our King" carved into it.) Zacharias Smith and Michael Corner, (Harry wondered where Ron had gotten those two.) and various opposing Quidditch teams. Hidden behind these, Harry knew, was a photo of Dean Thomas and another of Viktor Krum, although Ron also still had Krum's autograph as well.  
"Who understands girls?" Harry said philosophically, thinking of his previous troubles with Cho and his present one's as well. He had conveniently forgotten to tell Ron about his meeting with Ginny, he rather felt Ron would take it the wrong way, and Ron was definitely not the subtle type.  
"Hmph!" growled Ron, dotting a French Chaser in mid-flight.  
"Boys!" shouted Mrs. Weasley from downstairs, "Hurry! There's an owl here for you and Hermione."  
Harry jumped in shock, with the events of the past few weeks weighing so heavily on his mind he had nearly forgotten about O.W.L. results, even with Hermione still going over her test questions constantly. He looked up; Ron was looking back at him, his face draining of color. Slowly the got up and trooped down the stairs with the air of a funeral procession. Fred and George grinned mischievously as they passed, "Scared ickle Ronniekins?" asked George, "Worried about those nasty test scores?"  
"Shut up." Grumbled Ron, but without any real malice, he looked positively green. Harry didn't feel much better, visions of a line of T's on an official Ministry parchment danced before his eyes. They both hurried down into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was giving water to an officious looking barn owl. Hermione stood to one side, holding a large, thick envelope, marked with the Hogwarts and Ministry seals, with the air of one handling an extremely poisonous and bad-tempered snake. Her face, Harry noticed, was the color and consistency of chalk and her hands seemed unsteady. Ginny stood behind her looking serious. Fred and George followed grinning gleefully, "Should've just not fussed about them like we did." said Fred with an air of saintly benevolence, while grinning manically.  
"Makes life so much less complicated." agreed George.  
Mrs. Weasley made a rumbling noise and both the twins subsided. She practically threw the barn owl out the window; which flapped off hooting indignantly, and turned to the letter, tearing it open savagely. Silently she handed each letter to its respective owner, her eyes on the twins, daring them to even peep. Harry managed to smile inwardly, they might leave at some point but there were some things Fred and George would never be able to escape.  
Without even a cursory glance at his Hogwarts letter Harry took the parchment that contained his scores and examined it.  
  
Care of Magical Creatures: E  
  
Transfiguration: E  
  
Charms: O  
  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O  
  
Herbology: E  
  
Astronomy: A  
  
Potions: E  
  
Divination: D  
  
Mr. Potter, congratulations on you're perfect score on your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. Rest assured I have not forgotten my promise of last year. See you when term starts. We will speak about your classes then.  
  
Minerva McGonagall  
  
Deputy Headmistress  
Harry looked up from the letter with mixed feelings; on the one hand he had achieved excellent results. On the other hand, his eyes fell on the Potions grade; it wasn't good enough to get him into Snape's N.E.W.T. class, thus crushing his hopes to be an Auror. However, the message at the end of the letter gave him hope, Professor McGonagall had promised last year to do everything in her power to help him become an Auror, perhaps she could help him. On that note he looked at his friends, Hermione seemed to be reading her letter over and over again a slow smile spreading across her face. Ron was staring off into space his letter limp in his hands. "Well?" asked Mrs. Weasley breathlessly, "How did everyone do?"  
Hermione looked up and smiled a dazzling smile, "O's on everything."  
Mrs. Weasley clapped, Fred and George looked unimpressed as though they had expected this news, Ginny gasped and hugged Hermione enthusiastically. Harry grinned, he should have known, "Good one Hermione." She beamed at him. "Yeah," Ron said, looking at her with a kind of mixed pride on his face, "knew all along you'd be great." "Thanks Ron." She said, smiling at him too, and then she did hug him. Ron looked shocked while Harry reported his scores, along with the additional note from McGonagall. Mrs. Weasley swelled with pride while Fred and George pounded him on the back over Ginny and Hermione cheered. Finally they all turned to Ron.  
He smiled nervously, and began; "Care of Magical Creatures: O, Transfiguration: E, Charms: E, Defense Against the Dark Arts: E, Herbology: A, Astronomy: A, Potions: O, Divination: D."  
Mrs. Weasley went wild, hugging him tightly, while everyone else exchanged dumbfounded looks. Harry himself was awestruck, while he had not expected Ron to fail; he never would have thought that Ron would achieve an O in Potions. With a shock Harry realized that Ron had qualifying grades for the classes he would need to qualify for Auror training. He broke into a wide grin; maybe they would do this together. He had no clear recollection of the next few minutes except for a lot of cheering and stomping and hugging everyone in sight, although he knew that Ginny was not one of the people he hugged, she somehow managed to keep on the far side of the celebrating knot of people the entire time. Mrs. Weasley dashed off to the fire, presumably to tell Mr. Weasley and probably the whole Order as well.  
Fred and George disappeared while she was distracted, Harry saw them legging it for the broom shed, talking excitedly about some kind of delivery they apparently didn't want their mother knowing about. Ginny slipped out with them and was gone on her broom; Harry noticed she did this a lot lately. Ron, Hermione and Harry were left standing in the kitchen basking in the warm glow of their success. Minutes later Mrs. Weasley returned and took their Hogwarts letters, pursing her lips she examined them. "Well I think I can get your normal things for you, but you'll get your N.E.W.T. books at school," she smiled to herself, "Looks like a trip to Diagon Alley is in order."  
She immediately bustled out, apparently missing the fact that half of them had already vacated the premises. Already she was muttering to herself about the various items she was going to pick up and where she was going to leave the kids.  
Ron looked over at Harry, "By kids does she mean us?" Harry shrugged, although he didn't like the sound of it.  
Hermione looked thoughtful, "I guess she doesn't want to take us with her and doesn't want to leave us here."  
"Why not?" Asked Ron indignantly, "We're all old enough to stay here! Where does she get off treating us like kids?"  
"Ron," Hermione sighed, "she's just worried about us, you know what's going on, or have you forgotten Voldemort?" Ron, managed to avoid choking, but he did twitch just slightly, apparently he too was getting used to hearing the Dark Lord's name. Now all he has to do is say it, thought Harry ironically.  
Ron didn't seem to have a counter argument for Hermione's which, Harry noted out loud, was a first. (He was promptly told to sod off while both of his friends looked at the carpet, flushing.) They adjourned outside; Ginny was just landing a short distance away.  
"Short flight," remarked Ron. "where does she go anyway?"  
"Somewhere she can be alone." Hermione said in that annoyingly superior tone she sometimes had. Harry must have made some involuntary movement because she rounded on him. "I don't expect you to understand, but you should." With that she was off, making a beeline for the descending shape of Ginny. Harry was left confused once more.  
"Bloody hell," He swore, "what did that mean?"  
Ron shrugged, "Who understands girls?" he said philosophically.  
"Hmph!" Growled Harry, somehow thinking they'd already done this. Suddenly there was a shriek from Mrs. Weasley somewhere behind them. 


	13. Chapter 12: Headquarters and a House Elf

Chapter Twelve: Headquarters and a House Elf  
Harry and Ron looked up, as another shriek reverberated through the house, they looked at each other and dashed back the way they had come. "Mum!" shouted Ron, as they came bursting through the door, "Mum! What's wrong?!"  
Harry could hear Hermione and Ginny shouting questions at them, but paid them no mind, pulling his wand he sprinted for the front on Ron's heels. They found Mrs. Weasley on the lawn collapsed onto her knees staring at the door front. Tears were pouring silently down her face.  
"Mum," Ron was bewildered as he ran to her, "what." he too saw the door and fell silent, his eyes widening. Harry turned to look as Hermione and Ginny arrived.  
Pinned to the front door of the Burrow by an iron spike was a Weasley sweater with a large P embroidered on the front. Harry's heart seemed to fall into his toes; he had seen that sweater being forced over the head of a protesting Percy by Fred and George on his first Christmas Day at Hogwarts. Ginny and Hermione stared in horror while Mrs. Weasley sobbed.  
Slowly Harry reached up and pulled the sweater off its hanging, it blew lightly in the breeze, oblivious to the anguish its presence caused. Suddenly his ear was drawn to another sound. Turning he beheld the man he had seen the day he had arrived at the Burrow. He stood a fair distance away, silhouetted in the failing afternoon sun; Harry could plainly see the smile on his pale face. That was when the sound registered, laughter. Looking directly into Mrs. Weasley's tear stained eyes the man laughed heartily, as though it were the funniest thing he had ever seen.  
Ron's face blackened, "You bastard!" he screamed raising his wand and running forward, although the Reaper was a long way's away. The laughter stopped as the Reaper shook his head patronizingly and, with a last gleeful look at Mrs. Weasley, apparated out. But even as he did so two more figures rushed forward from directly behind him, passing through the space he had just occupied and barreling directly at Ron with animal snarls. Their faces were twisted and their eyes were a sickly yellow, Harry could clearly see pointed fangs, vampires.  
"Ron!" screamed Hermione as Ginny seized her mother and pulled her inside, Ron pulled up short, turned and sprinted back to them, although he looked like he'd rather keep going.  
"Get inside!" roared Harry, and then turned, "Reducto!" one of the vampires was blown backwards, but did not seem overly troubled by the curse, if anything it looked angrier. Deciding this wasn't going to work Harry followed Ron and Hermione slamming the door behind him.  
"Hurry," cried Mrs. Weasley, "the fireplace!" they all piled into the next room as the vampires came flying into the yard, braying like hounds.  
They all arrived, but before Ginny could take a pinch of the Floo powder emerald flames rose up and out came Mr. Weasley, followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Bill.  
"Arthur!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley, hurling herself at him, "Arthur! Oh, he got Percy Arthur, he got him!" she sobbed hysterically.  
"Easy Molly, easy." Said Mr. Weasley, "I know, we're looking for him now, everyone's up on alert. Calm down, we've got to get everyone out of here."  
"Take them to Headquarters Arthur!" shouted Kingsley, as the first vampire hurled itself against the door and was promptly thrown back by a security spell. "I'll deal with these!" he ran into the front room and kicked open the door. The vampires snarled and rushed him.  
Harry heard someone behind him yell, "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" and a rush of heat, but was not paying attention, sounds swirled about him, Hermione sobbing, Ginny gasping, Ron was swearing furiously. He watched as Kingsley shouted, "Inflammare!" and engulfed the first of his opponents in a jet of flame from his wand. Then Bill had grabbed him shouting, "Come on Harry!" and he felt himself spinning impossibly fast in the midst of green flames.  
When he hurtled out of the fireplace he found himself standing in the kitchen of his newly inherited house, which seemed little different, beyond being much less dark and dingy. He looked around; Mr. Weasley was holding Mrs. Weasley in the corner consolingly, whispering quietly in her ear. Bill was talking quietly to Lupin, who had apparently just arrived in the room, both looked very grave. Hermione and Ginny had collapsed into chairs and now sat there blankly, Ron was pacing like a caged animal, still looking enraged.  
"Come with me you four." said Lupin quietly, beckoning. Harry followed him reluctantly up the stairs and into the front hallway. No more pictures lined the hall; they seemed to have been finally disposed of. However the curtains still hung from their mounts by the front door, Mrs. Black had apparently not been removed as yet. Lupin led them to Harry's old bedroom and quietly closed the door. It looked much nicer now, someone had bought newer drapes and bedspread and the room had been swept and dusted recently. The portrait of Phineas Nigellus was empty. Lupin turned to them, but before he could open his mouth questions came at him from all directions.  
"How's Perce!?" demanded Ron, "Is he going to be okay?"  
"We're not sure yet," said Lupin in a placating voice, "we haven't found him yet, there's no telling right now what has happened."  
"How did they find the house?" questioned Hermione, "what happened to the Fidelius charm?"  
"Unfortunately Darius knew the house's location, Dumbledore had told him previously, that knowledge shouldn't have transferred to the Reaper, but it did. We're not really sure how the charm affects a man like Darius, it's never been tested before and he's the only one of his kind." Lupin explained.  
Ron opened his mouth, along with Ginny, but Lupin cut them off. "I know this is hard, especially since this is the second time something like this has happened, but you need to stay here for a while and wait for your parents." There was an immediate outcry, but he silenced it with a look, "Maybe I could take you around to give you a distraction? I'm sure Harry wants to see his new house."  
Harry really didn't want to, but the idea of a distraction appealed to him. Ron looked like he was about to protest as well, but Hermione laid a hand on his sleeve and he subsided. "Actually Professor," began Harry.  
"Just Remus Harry," Lupin said smiling, "I'm not your teacher anymore."  
"Remus," Harry corrected himself, "How did the place get so clean? Surely Kreacher didn't do this?"  
Something flickered in Lupin's eyes, "Kreacher's not here anymore Harry," Hermione looked at him sharply, but he ignored her, "however we did get a house elf here."  
"Who?" asked Harry, but before Lupin could answer the door cracked open tentatively and a small pair of green eyes peered out of the shadows at the bottom. They blinked owlishly as everyone turned to look.  
"It's okay Nit," said Lupin in a kind voice, "come on in, I want you to meet Harry Potter."  
Tentatively a small and obviously young house elf stepped out of the shadows, she had ears like Kreacher's peeking up around a hat above the typical green eyes and wore a small uniform made out of what looked like red velvet. "Master Harry Potter sir." she squeaked nervously, swallowed and looked to Lupin for support, he smiled kindly again and she seemed to draw up her courage, "Nit is here to present herself to her new master."  
Harry looked over at Lupin in shock, he had a house elf?! Lupin nodded to Nit, indicating Harry should say something, Harry turned back around. Nit was standing there looking very nervous; apparently she had taken Harry's silence as a bad sign. Harry gathered his shattered wits and summoned a smile.  
"Nit, err.well you seemed to have done a very good job so far, the place is um.a lot cleaner than I've ever seen it." Harry said, wondering if he was supposed to make some formal statement. What the hell, he thought; "I'd be honored if you'd continue your service." He heard a convulsive movement from Hermione's direction, but didn't think anything of it. Nit's eyes filled with tears and she immediately hid her face with her round little hat and squeaked out "Th, th, thank you Master Potter sir." and dashed out of the room at top speed.  
Lupin laughed lightly at the dumbfounded expression on Harry's face, "You'll have to think up some less extravagant praise Harry, you overwhelmed her."  
Harry stared at Lupin "Where'd she come from?"  
"She's Kreacher's niece," replied Lupin, smiling "Dobby recommended her, we didn't tell him it was for your house or he'd have died from the desire to be here himself. Anyway she'll take good care of the place, but it's a bit overwhelming for her, just keep that in mind."  
"Yeah, sure." Mumbled Harry, feeling quite overwhelmed himself, this was all very strange, somewhere Sirius is having a good laugh at the look on your face, he said to himself, and smiled, it was a pleasant thought.  
He turned around, Ron was looking at him ironically, and apparently he found "Master Potter" very amusing. Ginny was smiling, "She was so cute." She said happily.  
A surprisingly cat-like hiss came from Hermione, she was looking at Harry in a very fierce fashion, suddenly he felt a lot less comfortable and tried to deflect her, "Well, Remus, would you like to show us,"  
"Just a minute!" said Hermione looking at Harry and Lupin accusingly, slowly Harry turned, he had been worried this would happen, "aren't you both forgetting something."  
"No," said Harry tentatively "I don't think we,"  
"A slave, Harry!" roared Hermione, Ron and Ginny cringed, "That's what you've got Harry! A slave! Aren't you going to free her?! Honestly after everything I've said, all the work I've done on S.P.E.W., that you of all people would,"  
"I'm afraid freeing her is out of the question Hermione," Lupin interjected smoothly, "it would be a mortal insult and she'd probably die from the shock besides."  
"But, but," began Hermione.  
"I know what your personal feelings on this issue are Hermione," Lupin continued, "but it's wrong to force them on others. We need Nit here, she's a heck of a lot better than Kreacher ever was, and this house belongs to Harry now, she'll keep it in good shape until Harry returns."  
Hermione subsided, but still shot Harry a murderous enough look that he knew he hadn't heard the end of it. Ron was looking at Lupin with great respect; after all he had just headed off one of Hermione's rants, a skill Ron had never seemed to master. Ginny looked passive about the whole idea, as though it were no concern of hers. Harry made a mental note to ask her how she faded into the background like that, and then caught himself, remembering their current relationship was very tense.  
"Come along now," said Lupin, "I'll show you the house, and then Harry can decide whether or not to let the Order still use it."  
"What?" said Harry disbelievingly, "What makes you think I wouldn't let you use it?"  
"Well certain members who you are not on very good terms with will be here often, and you might have wanted to avoid it." Said Lupin nonchalantly, "I knew you'd lend it to us, but I had to ask anyway. Come on I'll show you the rest of the house." 


	14. Chapter 13: The Demise of Mrs Black

Thanks so much to harrys-hot-girlfriend and Hedwig02135 for their contributions, it's good to finally get more reviews. Here's chapter 13.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own it; I'm not J. K. Rowling.  
  
Chapter Thirteen: The Demise of Mrs. Black  
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was certainly looking better; Harry resolved to find more, not less, extravagant praise for Nit. New furnishings and lights had been added; it definitely looked like a place Harry could live in, with two exceptions. The Black Family Tapestry still hung defiantly in its room and the portrait of Sirius' mother was still lurking behind her curtains, limiting speech volume in the hall.  
"I know what you must be thinking," said Lupin quietly, coming up behind Harry, who was looking at the tapestry in disgust. "But don't think we haven't tried to remove it dozens of times. We've been too busy to really take a stab at it though."  
"Sirius wanted it gone," Harry gritted out, "he said so in his letter."  
"Ah, yes, I meant to give you that myself so we could talk, but those two Weasley's can be quite persistent." Lupin smiled, then looked serious, "If he wanted it done we'll do it right now, Harry, I promise you that."  
Harry turned to look at him, "I can't imagine what it's like for you Remus, he was your best friend, and you lost him again, I wish I had realized what it meant to you earlier, but, all I could think about was what it had done to me."  
Lupin looked discerningly at Harry, and then his eyes shifted to the burn mark on the tapestry where Sirius' name used to be. "There's no need to apologize Harry, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it didn't hurt, sometimes it hurt more than I could bear, but I knew him Harry, knew him better than anyone ever will, and I can tell you he's happy. I can take comfort in that fact, and you can too." He laid his hand on Harry's shoulder; Harry placed his own hand on top of Lupin's, suddenly feeling choked up.  
"It's been so hard to go on without him." He said quietly, "I sometimes felt like I'd never laugh or smile again, but it's good to know I've still got so many people to laugh and smile with here." Lupin smiled like a proud uncle, Harry turned and they both regarded the tapestry in silence. Then they both cut off the first layer of the wall the tapestry still clung tenaciously to, and hurled it out the window into the rubbish bin next to the house with a thunderous crash.  
"Toujours Pur." Said Harry, staring down at the filth covered piece of cloth that was now nothing more than a bad memory.  
Their vigil was interrupted by a shout from Ron, "Everyone come quick! They're back! They found him!"  
Harry and Lupin dashed downstairs into the kitchen, where Emmeline Vance and Bill were carrying in none other than Percy, with both his parents following behind. "Where did they find him?" asked Lupin as they emerged from the fireplace.  
"Just a little ways from his flat in London." replied Emmeline; none of the others looked capable of speech. "He apparently tried to get help, but collapsed before he got far enough. From what Moody has been able to piece together he was attacked at home after he invited in two vampires posing as Ministry officials, I'm told Darius was one of them." They laid him down on the table, he looked very pale and Harry could see blood on his neck, the sight of him lying there, squeezed Harry's heart, Percy had been a stupid arrogant git, that was true, but he didn't deserve this, his family didn't deserve this pain. Hatred rose in him for the creature who would so wantonly hurt those Harry cared about.  
Hermione, Ginny and Ron had all arrived; Ron and Ginny immediately went to their mother, who was almost as pale as Percy himself. The room subsided into quiet as non other than Madame Pomphrey stepped through the fireplace and began to examine Percy's still form. After a hasty inspection she rose and shook her head.  
"He's in trouble, better to take him to St. Mungo's; I can't adequately treat him here." Mrs. Weasley shuddered as Emmeline and Bill moved forward again, but even as they did Percy stirred and his eyes fluttered open.  
"Dad," he croaked, "dad,"  
"Mr. Weasley hurried forward, "I'm here son, I'm here." He nearly choked on his words. "Don't worry, you're going to be all right, just hang on."  
Percy however was reaching into his robes; his fingers trembled as he made a supreme effort and took out a stack of letters. With his failing strength he held them out to his father. "Take, take, for everyone," his voice was barely a whisper, he faded back into unconsciousness. Mrs. Weasley let out a wail, and moved to him frantically calling his name as Lupin and Emmeline lifted him up and out through the fireplace to St. Mungo's, following Madame Pomphrey. Mr. Weasley however stopped her and Bill from following, he was looking through the stack of letters.  
"There's one here for the whole family," he said pensively, rifling through them, "and for Harry, one for Hermione, and one for Dumbledore. I wonder what this is?" silently he handed them out to the proper recipients, those that were present. Harry took his and, like everyone else, opened it. Inside was a plain parchment filled with Percy's precise handwriting.  
  
Dear Harry,  
I hope you are reading this, you would be perfectly justified in burning it without even so much as a glance. However, I implore you to hear me out, read to the end and then burn it and me if you like.  
I must apologize, it sounds so small and futile as I am sitting here writing this, but I do mean it. I am sorrier than I ever thought possible for the pain and anguish my actions have caused you and those around you. I abandoned and slandered you in your time of need, when a loyal friend and comrade was what you needed I turned my back on everyone who needed me and went my own selfish way. For that I apologize from the bottom of my heart.  
I will not ask you to forgive me for my actions, they are beyond forgiveness. I simply wanted you to know that I was wrong and that I know it. I wish you the very best in your endeavors, I will not be a part of them. I feel I have lost the right to be in the lives of those I hurt, so I will stay away. Again I can not express my regret at my actions enough.  
  
Percy  
  
Slowly Harry folded up his parchment and looked around; Ron was standing beside him staring off into space as he held the letter in limp hands. Harry grimaced; apparently everyone had read something of the same sort. Hermione and Ginny both read theirs silently, tears running softly down their faces. Mrs. Weasley was still choking and sobbing as she folded hers carefully and put it in her pocket. Bill looked grim and thoughtful, the least emotional of all. Mr. Weasley was smiling like a proud father would, wiping at his eyes he too folded up and pocketed his letter.  
"Well," he said shakily, "I'll round up some of the Order and we'll go right away to St. Mungo's."  
"I've got to get back to work, Dad." Bill stated with some stiffness in his posture. Mrs. Weasely looked at him pleadingly, but he avoided her eyes. "Why don't you give me the others and I'll get them where they're supposed to be."  
Mr. Weasley handed them over without a word; Bill waved, kissed his mother on the cheek and went out of the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley made to follow him, but her husband stopped her, "Let it go Molly, he just needs some more time." He looked around kindly, "does anyone else not want to do this?"  
"Erm," Ron said, looking down at the floor, "no." Ginny nodded in agreement with her brother, Hermione mustered a reassuring smile. Harry considered for a minute, but the look on Mrs. Weasley's face decided him.  
"I'm coming." He said firmly, "let's get going."  
They all trooped up the stairs into the entrance hall. Mrs. Weasley looked up from getting her coat, "Why did he do that Arthur, why?"  
"I don't know dear," Mr. Weasely replied gently, "he was just trying to set things right, I think he would have delivered them personally but,"  
He fell silent, but the Reaper had gotten to him before he could do so, Harry gritted his teeth, that made it twice as hard to bear. Ron, stared ahead angrily, suddenly smashing his fist into the wall with all the force he could muster, cracking the plaster.  
"Ron no!" squeaked Hermione, but it was too late, the curtains behind them flew backward, revealing the screaming portrait of Mrs. Black.  
"SWINE! BEASTS! BLOOD-TRAITORS! HOW DARE YOU PROFA." something snapped in Harry. Before anyone could even move Harry had whipped out his wand and spun around.  
"Inflammare'!" he shouted, slashing his wand down at the portrait. A blast of fire shot past Hermione and the Weasley's and engulfed the portrait. Mrs. Black shrieked louder than Harry had ever heard her, twisting and writhing in the middle of the flames, even as the fire destroyed the portrait that had been her home. Suddenly as the fire consumed the paint, the screaming cut off. Harry put away his wand with shaking fingers as his rage subsided. There was nothing left on the wall but a large black burn and a quantity of soot and ashes on the floor underneath it.  
Harry let out a breath and turned to the others, all were staring at him in shocked silence. Harry's eyes wandered around until they met each person's in turn, Ginny was last. As he looked into those wide brown eyes Harry suddenly felt tired, tired of this war, tired of the pain, tired of the losses, just tired of everything, there was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to find solace and comfort in someone. But then she had turned away and the moment passed.  
"Let's go." Harry said quietly, not looking at anyone, "Nit! There's a mess in the front hall! See to it please!" and he turned and went out the door without another word. 


	15. Chapter 14: First Thunder

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I'm not cool enough.  
  
Chapter 14: First Thunder  
Voldemort stood up from his chair and glared at the vampire bowing before him. A large Death Eater to his left stepped forward, "Kneel before the Dark Lord! You have failed him!" he attempted to force the vampire's head down. With incredible speed the vampire brought the scythe in his right hand around and bashed the handle across the man's face, breaking the mask and sending him spinning backward, bloodying his nose.  
Immediately a half-dozen wands were pointed at him, but the Reaper paid them no mind he looked directly to Voldemort and raised an eyebrow; "Failed?"  
Wiping his nose Crabbe, the Death Eater who had been struck, glared at him. Voldemort was calm, but tense like a coiled spring. He looked down on the vampire, "I instructed you to kill the target, and you did not do this."  
The Reaper shook his head, "If I'm not wrong the whole point was to cause some pain to this group you hate so much right?" Voldemort nodded, "Then don't you think they're in pain right now? If he's just dead they mourn, remember him, and then carry on with even more resolve to win. But, hurt him and he'll carry the scars for the rest of his life, they'll have to take care of him, all the while letting their bleeding hearts master them. Don't tell me just killing him is the better thing to do."  
Voldemort glared, but did not seem angry, "I don't object to your methods, you seem to have the ends straight, just the means seem to elude you. Remember who you serve, never forget, and I will give you free reign of your affairs."  
"Agreed, Master." The Reaper bowed again, more deeply this time.  
Voldemort seemed almost pensive, "All that nonsense about pain and scars, you don't really believe that do you?"  
The Reaper shrugged, "Believe? Maybe, but as for my reasons," he laughed and shrugged again, turning to leave, "it was fun."  
Voldemort glared at the spot the vampire had occupied, all trace of a grin gone. He turned to the Death Eater on his right, "Lucius, I want that thing watched at all times, you, Avery and Nott, understood?"  
Lucious fell to his knees, "Of course my Lord, the second he proves false he dies."  
Voldemort looked pensively at the door, "Make sure you're there when he gets us our package, and then relieve him of it."  
"It shall be done my Lord."  
"Begone!" the Dark Lord commanded, as the room emptied, he sat back in his chair brooding, this was another plan that he was unsure of the outcome. He never liked being unsure of anything. 


	16. Chapter 15: Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters.  
  
Chapter 15: Reunion  
When he looked back, Harry could never recall the trip to St. Mungo's clearly, all he had were images. The old bottle they used for a portkey, the mannequin at the entrance, Mrs. Weasley's face as her husband stated the reason they were here, his friends' eyes on him as they waited to hear they could see Percy. His first clear recollection was of standing outside the ward, looking at Hermione. Only family had been allowed in at first, Mr. Weasley said they could come in after he spoke to the healer on duty about getting a special circumstances waiver.  
Harry avoided Hermione's eyes, "I hope he's going to be all right." He muttered, "I still can't believe it."  
"Well," Said Hermione, "maybe it will help them reconcile their differences."  
"Heh, at least they came to see him when he got hurt."  
"Harry!" Hermione looked shocked, "Don't say things like that! Even Ron wasn't like that!"  
"Sorry," Harry replied grudgingly, "I guess it's just hard to deal with everything that's happened."  
"Well, just move towards forgiveness," lectured Hermione severely, "Percy just went through a lot too, and remember he apologized."  
"Yeah, he did, but he had to do it through a letter." Harry sighed, "As if Voldemort wasn't bad enough we've now got some psychotic vampire after us."  
"Don't worry Harry," said Hermione confidently, "the Order will catch him."  
The door to the ward opened and a terrified looking mediwitch peeked out, "You can come in now." She squeaked, her voice shaking. Harry threw Hermione a puzzled look and went in; Mrs. Weasley was standing directly behind the mediwitch glaring at her threateningly. Harry smiled to himself, no wonder she looked so scared.  
Mrs. Weasley beckoned them, "Come on you two, he's just woken up a little bit ago."  
Harry stepped through the crowd around Percy's bed, Fred and George had arrived at some point, they must have apparated into the room because Harry hadn't seen them use the door. Percy was propped up against some pillows with a large white bandage on his neck. He looked slightly better, but still very pale. He smiled wanly at Harry as he approached. "Hello Harry, Hermione, sorry this didn't happen under better circumstances."  
Harry mustered a smile, "How are you feeling Percy?" Hermione smiled as well.  
Percy winced as he shifted position, "The potions are vile, but I must say the company is much more than I deserve."  
"Don't worry about that," Harry said, the last thing he wanted was another person besides him wallowing in guilt. Funny how he could see Percy doing it and it infuriated him, but his own guilt seemed deserved. "You've paid your dues; it's good to have you back."  
Harry turned around, Mrs. Weasley was beaming at him, Mr. Weasley looked neutral, as though he expected Harry's statement. Ron looked unsure, as though he really didn't know what to think. Hermione looked serene; Harry felt she had probably predicted exactly how this would happen. Ginny was trying not to smile, Harry couldn't imagine why. But, Fred and George looked blank, absolutely cold; they had come, but just to see Percy, not to speak.  
After a while they retired to Grimmauld Place, Fred and George headed out after a brief time to meet Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, Mrs. Weasley made an attempt to talk to them but they avoided her, apparently Bill wasn't the only one who was going to have to think things over.  
Harry found himself in his old room with Ron and Hermione. With a great sigh he sat down on the bed. "Tired mate?" asked Ron.  
"Tired? Yeah, tired of it," Harry squeezed a fist, "sorry about what happened to you brother."  
Ron nodded, glaring. "I'm going to kill that 'Reaper.'"  
"Ron," Hermione said nervously, "don't be crazy, you heard what Dumbledore said, he's powerful. Besides, Darius Raider is still inside that vampire, we just need to."  
"Oh come off it Hermione," said Ron angrily, "that thing is a monster and needs to be."  
"Put down?" asked Hermione acidly, Ron paused, "That was what people said about Hagrid, do you think that about Darius."  
"Hagrid never killed anyone did he?" shot back Ron, "I think this Reaper has proved he is a monster. How can you defend something that did that to my brother?"  
Hermione didn't have anything to say to this, and they fell silent, thinking about the implications. "Well," Hermione said eventually, "I'd better be getting to bed, see you all in the morning."  
The next couple of days passed uneventfully, a letter arrived from Dumbledore saying that the Burrow was no longer safe until the Reaper had been contained and instructed the Weasleys and Harry to remain at Grimmauld Place indefinitely. Moody came by with their things so they could stay in comfort. Adjusting to the new Grimmauld Place was not difficult for Harry. Since muggles couldn't see the yard it was fine to play quidditch or just fly in, somehow it was a lot larger than any other back yard, but fit into the same amount of space at the same time. Order members frequently came by on business, or just to visit. Tonks had stopped in several times, with a hearty "Wotcher Harry." on every occasion, but she spent most of her time talking quietly with Lupin. ("There's something up with those two." said Ron.) Snape had appeared a few times, but did not stay long. The sour look never left his face while he was present, but Harry avoided even being in the same room as the Potions Master. He still blamed Snape for his hatred of Sirius, although now Harry also felt slightly guilty now that he knew what James and Sirius had done to "Snivellus." Nit seemed especially distrustful of Snape and took to following him around with a severe look on her little face, waiting to swoop down on any messes he might make. Percy's condition was slowly improving; Mrs. Weasley went to see him every chance she got, even her trip to Diagon Alley to get their school things lasted twice as long as it should have. Ginny and Hermione again fell into each others company, but Ginny did deign to play quidditch with Harry and Ron. For Harry, it was a time to forget his troubles and just enjoy being with his friends again. Finally September rolled around and they were off to Kings Cross and another year at Hogwarts. 


	17. Chapter 16: Two Unexpected Intrusions

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that's all.  
  
Chapter 16: Two Unexpected Intrusions  
After a harrowing ride through London in Mr. Weasley's car, ("No Death Eater's going to attack him while he's driving like that!" remarked Ron.) Harry pushed along his trolley amid Ron, Hermione and Ginny, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed behind. He caught scattered glimpses of Moody, Lupin and Tonks shadowing them, but they did not walk openly.  
Ron noted the happy look on Harry's face as they approached the barrier, "Glad to be back mate?" he asked. Harry nodded, smiling.  
"Quite an eventful summer if I do say so myself," said Hermione. "what with,"  
She paused, looking over at the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ where several people were gathered, her eyes widening. One was Lupin; his alert eyes scanning the crowd while he talked quietly with a spiky neon blue haired Tonks, Harry could have sworn he'd just seen them directly behind them just a minute before. Next to them surprisingly was none other than Percy, he looked shaky and leaned heavily on a blackthorn cane with a silver head shaped like a cross, but seemed to be all right, at least he was up. But Harry's eyes were drawn to the fifth person, standing talking to Moody.  
  
It was Viktor Krum.  
  
Krum looked different from when Harry had last seen him two years ago. He was older obviously, but he looked worse the wear to Harry. His face seemed to have lost some of its color, and he seemed less healthy than he had been. But still he was Viktor Krum, in the flesh. He was wearing midnight blue robes, his hair was shaggier as though he had taken less time caring for it, and he seemed to be taking instructions of some sort from the grizzled ex-Auror. He looked up and saw them, his eyes coming to rest for a second on Harry (He nodded in a friendly manner.) before shifting to Hermione.  
"Viktor!" shouted Hermione happily and hurried forward to meet him. Krum smiled easily as she approached.  
Harry train of thought was derailed as a hand closed around his arm and promptly proceeded to crush it in a vice-like grip. "What the hell is he doing here?!" hissed Ron in his ear, looking as though he had received a very nasty shock. "What's going on?!"  
"I don't know," Harry painfully bit out as Ron squeezed still harder, "but would you please get your bloody hand off me?!"  
"What?" asked Ron, then as Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously he looked down, "Oh, sorry Harry." He let go immediately, only to grip his cart handle so tightly the entire thing creaked, as Hermione and Krum chatted excitedly.  
"Well, I wonder what he's here for." Said Mrs. Weasley, looking at Krum curiously, "He's that nice boy Hermione was writing to right?" Ron made a noise that sounded like he was choking on an angry cat, but did not seem able to speak.  
"That's Viktor Krum, mum." Ginny told her, rolling her eyes, "and he's just one of the best Seekers in the world, that's all." Harry laughed; Ginny grinned and met his eyes for the first time in a while. Harry was so startled that she had looked away before he could think of anything to do.  
As the rest approached, Krum appeared to say goodbye to Hermione and passed through the barrier into Platform 9 ¾ with a nod to everyone. Hermione seemed to glow as she turned back to them. "Well what a surprise! He'd hinted he might be back in the country, but I had no idea,"  
"What's he back for?" interrupted Ron, drawing some stares from Muggle passerby. "And what do you mean he'd 'hinted'?!"  
Hermione rolled her eyes, while Ron glared. "Oh for heaven's sake Ron! We didn't get to why he's here, and as for the latter, that's none of your business!"  
"None of my business?! Why I," Harry could smell a row from these two a mile away so he moved to the knot of talking adults.  
"Good to see you whole boy." Growled Moody from beneath his bowler hat, "still haven't talked to Emmeline about her ruddy shield spell, bloody useless."  
"Don't be too hard on her Mad-Eye." reprimanded Tonks, pointing a finger at him, "You know what kind of person we're dealing with."  
"Humph," growled Moody, "can't even call it a ruddy person anymore, not after what's happened."  
"Alastor!" said Mrs. Weasley, shocked, "How can you think that about Darius? He's,"  
"Gone," interrupted Lupin smoothly, "and we're going to have to work very hard to bring him back, so let's all try to be a little gentler okay?"  
"You're going to bring him back?" asked Harry.  
"Dumbledore thinks we can," said Tonks, winking at him, "If anyone would know, he would." Said Percy.  
"We're working on it," said Lupin, "but we need to find the object they used to remove Darius, needless to say I'm pretty sure it'll be hard to find."  
"Yeah, Voldemort will have made sure of that," growled Moody, sending a shudder around the circle, "he'd be stupid not to."  
"Interesting Alastor," interjected a voice from across the tracks, the entire group spun around, and Mrs. Weasley cried out, "Are you sure he's not stupid? After all, he did put me in the picture." There stood the Reaper, bold as brass, calmly lighting a cigarette with a silver lighter.  
Immediately, almost before the thought had even occurred to Harry, Moody's wand was pointed at the black figure and he was halfway through a binding spell. "Ah, ah, ah, Alastor." the Reaper smoothly reached behind him and pulled a muggle child into view, his hand resting lightly on the back of her neck. The child looked vague, as though not really aware of what was going on, probably under a spell.  
Moody looked down at the little girl, and slowly lowered his wand, his sinister eyes glaring at the grinning vampire. "What do you want?" he growled.  
"Oh just examining my handiwork," the Reaper took a long pull on his cigarette and blew out a thin trail of grey smoke, his eyes fell on Percy, and he smirked. "How're you doing son? Neck feeling all right? How's the leg?" Ron and Hermione fell silent as they saw what was happening, Ginny edged closer to them, her liquid brown eyes glaring at the vampire.  
"Get out of here!" cried Mrs. Weasley angrily, Mr. Weasley had to quickly seize her arm to prevent her from drawing her wand. "How dare you?! You monster!" Lupin turned quickly and did something with his wand, whatever happened it seemed to have cloaked the scene; the passerby didn't even spare the strange happenings a glance.  
The Reaper seemed amused, "Well, well, how quickly the mind changes." he shook his finger at Mrs. Weasley condescendingly "How can you think that about Darius?" he mimicked her voice, and laughed.  
Percy suddenly leaned forward and hurled his cane at the vampire cross first, "Perce don't!" shouted Mr. Weasley.  
The Reaper's hand shot out and snatched the cane out of the air an inch from his face, his eyes narrowed. "Bad move." He growled, his gaze fell on Harry, and he bared his fangs, "See you around." He calmly twirled the cane, delivering a light shove to the back of the child with it; she fell forward toward the tracks like a board, and then he hurled the cane in return, only he aimed for Lupin's unprotected back.  
There was a confused scramble as Tonks desperately dove to stop the cane's flight and naturally, being Tonks, tripped. Mr. Weasley pulled his wand and used a banishing charm to prevent the child from falling onto the dangerous tracks. Mrs. Weasley shouted and Percy cursed as the vampire stepped back and disappeared into the teeming crowds behind him. Harry closed his eyes as the silver-topped cane flew at Lupin with punishing force, he heard a loud crack, but when he opened his eyes Lupin was still standing. Moody had jumped forward at the last moment, using his wooden leg to block the attack. The blackthorn had punched through the middle of it almost half its length.  
"Idiot boy!" roared Moody, his bowler falling off, "everyone through the barrier, now!"  
They bustled through in a group, Lupin pausing to remove the spell he had cast, the muggle girl had disappeared. "Let's go dears," said Mrs. Weasley, visibly straining to hold back her emotions, "time to go!"  
"But mum," shouted Ron, "what about,"  
"There's no time dear," she interrupted him shooing them all toward the train, "have a good term, we'll see you at Christmas."  
"Goodbye all!" said Percy, ignoring Moody's furious glare, "Thank you again!"  
Mr. Weasley and Tonks waved a bit too enthusiastically, Lupin smiled and shook Harry's hand, "Take care of yourself Harry, and try not to worry, we'll keep you posted."  
"Thanks, but that," Harry said, but Hermione and Ron pulled him along with them, the train was about to leave. They hurried on board to an empty compartment, following Ginny. The last thing Harry saw as the train pulled out of the station was a black-clad man standing outside, flipping a silver lighter on and off as he gazed after the departing train.  
  
Well that's it, after 16 chapters I finally got to Hogwarts. Please R&R, I want to know where people think I should go with this story, I already have some idea, but I enjoy the input. 


	18. Chapter 17: Hogwarts at Last

Here's Chapter 17, thank you very much to Melindaleo for that excellent review! Moody was shouting at Percy for attacking the Reaper while he still had the little girl, sorry for the confusion. I'll try to make what you want happen, tell me if this chapter is going in the right direction. Thanks!  
  
Dislaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, yadda, yadda, yadda.  
  
Chapter 17: Hogwarts at Last  
"Well we'd better get over to the prefect's car," said Hermione, as she and Ron hurriedly got out their Hogwarts robes and prefects badges. She was acting overly brisk, she had been riled by the Reaper's appearance, Harry could tell.  
"Oh," Ginny looked disconcerted for a second, sneaking a glance at Harry, but the next second she smiled. "Okay, I'd forgotten, see you later okay?"  
"Sure." said Hermione, looking at Harry strangely as well. Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged and headed out of the compartment after Hermione, he looked angry, but in no mood to discuss it. Seeing the Reaper mock his mother had enraged him.  
Ginny quickly pulled out a copy of the Quibbler and shoved her nose in it. Shaking his head at her strange behavior Harry sat down and stared out the window glaring. The image of the Reaper's smirking face as he inquired about Percy's health kept rising in his mind. He gritted his teeth, and tried to think about something else.  
An opportunity quickly presented itself, on the cover page of the Quibbler was a large picture of Sirius, the heading stated; "The Mysterious Disappearance of Stubby Boardman." Harry must have made some kind of noise because Ginny looked up, she saw what he was looking at and immediately her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! Harry I'm sorry!"  
Harry held up a hand to forestall her, "Don't worry about it Ginny, it's okay." He smiled genuinely at the photograph, which winked at him. "He would have laughed to see it, there's no reason I should cry." He shifted his eyes to her, and she did not look away. She seemed to be looking right into him, he nodded. "I'm still here, and I've got friends and family to take care of, can't dwell on the past forever." He even gave a little laugh as he looked out the window, remembering Sirius chasing the train as a dog.  
Ginny was still looking at him keenly, "That's very good Harry."  
Harry shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious, "Well, I didn't arrive at that conclusion alone you know. I had loads of help from some great people." He smiled at her, "you know what I mean."  
Ginny gave a small smile, "Yeah, I do." And she raised the Quibbler again, not breaking eye contact until the magazine eclipsed those beautiful brown eyes. Harry turned to look out into the hall, not knowing why he suddenly felt twenty pounds lighter.  
He was distracted from his happy thoughts as none other than Cho Chang passed slowly by, chatting lightly with the sneak Marietta Edgecombe. Cho saw him and quickly looked away, Marietta paled as Harry looked at her, but it was the person following behind them that immediately accosted Harry's attention. It was Michael Corner, and the reason he drew Harry's eyes was because he was glaring at Harry in a most hostile way, quite different from the respectful glances Harry had drawn from him last year.  
"Hey!" Corner snapped loudly, causing Cho and her friend to pull up short, he marched into the compartment and faced Harry, Ginny looked up frowning. "You knock that off, you hear!"  
"What?!" asked Harry, quite taken aback. Where had this come from? "What are you talking about?"  
"Michael don't," began Cho from the hall, looking nervously at Harry, but Corner interrupted her.  
"I don't want you ogling her, you got that!?"  
"What?!" shouted Harry, "That's ridiculous!"  
"Whatever! Just know I've got my eye on you!" snapped Corner.  
"Knock it off, Michael!" cried Ginny, looking at him angrily, "You've got no right to accuse,"  
"Shut up!" shouted Corner, "This has nothing to do with you, Ginny!"  
Before Harry even knew what was happening he was on his feet with his wand shoved in Corner's face. Marietta disappeared, with incredible speed, Cho clapped a hand over her mouth and even Corner seemed shocked.  
Harry narrowed his eyes, "I think you'd better leave, before I make you regret what you just said."  
Corner glared, but his former confidence was lacking, "Just remember what I told you." He turned and moved rather quickly out the door. Cho followed, with an anxious glance over her shoulder.  
Harry collapsed onto his seat, "Good grief! What happened to that guy?"  
"I don't know," replied Ginny, "I guess he's just gotten a little defensive."  
"No kidding." Said Harry, he shook his head, "This is just what I need, Voldemort, the Reaper, the prophe," he caught himself; he'd avoided even thinking about the prophecy for a long time. It was never a comforting thought to know that you're marked for "great things" as Mr. Ollivander had once put it. Harry didn't see what was so great about going wand to wand with Voldemort until he or Harry was dead. He hoped he'd not given anything away.  
Ginny however was sharper than that, "The what?" she asked, now looking at him keenly, her magazine forgotten."  
"Nothing." said Harry quickly, inwardly cursing his carelessness.  
Ginny's eyes narrowed, "Come on Harry, you can't lie to me, it's always something."  
"I," began Harry, but he stopped, the two engaged in a staring match for a while. Harry was running over his options in his head, he could just maintain it was nothing, but he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a Bat-Bogey hex, besides he wanted to tell someone. "Okay," he sighed, "Listen I," He cut off as the compartment door opened and in came Ron, Hermione and Neville, followed by Luna Lovegood. "I'll tell you later." He muttered.  
"Hello." said Luna in her dreamy voice, looking at a point well past Harry's shoulder. "It's nice to see you again."  
"Hey Harry!" said Neville excitedly, he was again holding his mimbulus mibletonia, which had grown even larger, Harry hoped he wasn't going to poke it again. A torrent of stinksap would be in keeping with the general theme of the day.  
"Hi, had a good summer?" asked Harry, Neville nodded proudly, "My Gran gave me a horrible telling off for that stuff last year, but I caught her writing a proud letter to my Uncle Algie, so everything's fine."  
"We didn't manage to catch a Crumple-Horned Snorekack," said Luna, Hermione snorted behind her, "but dad swears he got photographic evidence."  
"Er, that's nice Luna." said Harry; they all stood around for a minute.  
"Uh, Exploding snap anyone?" asked Ron, they all agreed readily. The rest of the trip passed uneventfully, without a sign of Malfoy or his cronies, for which Harry was very pleased.  
As they piled off the train Harry caught sight of Hagrid towering over a group of nervous looking first years. "Hagrid!" he shouted, Ron and Hermione waved.  
"Good ter see yeh!" roared Hagrid, making his charges jump, "You three come by and see me later all right?!"  
"Sure!" Harry shouted after him as Hagrid hurried to the boats. They moved to the carriages, Ginny left them to find Dean, Ron had twitched, but said nothing under Hermione's watchful eye. Harry wondered why he was trying not to glare as Ginny hurried away. As they approached their carriage Harry gazed up fondly at the black thestral pulling his carriage, he had quite gotten over being afraid of them, and as Hagrid had said, they were dead clever and useful. Hermione and Ron seemed to have forgotten their earlier argument and were both looking at him, their eyes shifting to where they thought the thestral was. Harry smiled and nodded to show he was okay. They chatted amicably on the way up to the castle. Luna made Neville blush by telling him she thought he was looking more confident.  
As they hurried through the entrance hall, deftly avoiding the flying spitwads from Peeves, Professor McGonagall came through a side door. "Mr. Potter," she called, "follow me please, we have something to discuss." Harry ran forward in anticipation, just catching a glimpse of the lit up Great Hall, but the small glimpse he got was enough to stop him dead in his tracks. Viktor Krum and old Professor Tofty from the O.W.L. exams were now seated at the staff table. Casting a sympathetic glance over his shoulder at Ron, ("What? What did you see?") he hurried after the rapidly disappearing Professor McGonagall. 


	19. Chapter 18: The Beginning of the Year

Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been separated from my computer for a week.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 17: The Beginning of the Year  
"In here Potter." Professor McGonagall said primly as they arrived at her office. She shooed him inside, Harry looked around and stopped dead. Professor Snape was sitting in a chair in one corner, cold and hard as ever. He eyed Harry malevolently and Harry glared back as Professor McGonagall shut the door and hurried to sit behind her desk.  
"What is this about Minerva?" hissed Snape in his oily voice, "I trust it's important enough to take me away from the feast?"  
"Quite Severus," stated McGonagall with her most officious voice, "I'd like to discuss your N.E.W.T. Potions class for this year."  
Harry's heart leaped, he had been right! Professor McGonagall was going to try and help him. Although he had no idea what she'd be able to do, Snape was eyeing Harry with suspicion, his dislike apparent. Snape had always made the point that he hated that Harry received special treatment, and Harry couldn't see the Snape he knew bending under any circumstances.  
Snape's eyes narrowed, "Yes?"  
"I would like you to place Mr. Potter here on your class roster." said Professor McGonagall.  
"I believe Minerva," Snape hissed, obviously he'd been expecting this, "that I made it very clear that no grades lower than an O would be accepted. Mr. Potter does not meet this requirement, I hardly see why he should be given a chance when,"  
"Where you ever given a chance Severus?" interrupted Professor McGonagall, "When others thought you shouldn't be?"  
Snape looked surprised, "Well, I suppose,"  
"And do you not think it would be a prudent course of action to treat others in the same manner?" Professor McGonagall inquired looking at him sharply.  
Snape glared for a long moment at nothing in particular, and then finally, Harry saw his eyes flicker with something, as though he were staring far into the past. His eyes narrowed. "Very well," Harry nearly reeled, Snape had acquiesced! "But, I want it clear," the potions master stood up, his eyes glittering, "that if Mr. Potter fails to perform he will be dismissed immediately."  
"I quite agree with that Severus." said Professor McGonagall, looking at Harry severely.  
Harry swallowed and turned to Snape, he hated to have to say this, "I understand." as Snape turned to leave Harry swallowed his pride and hatred and said, "Thank you, sir."  
Snape paused for a moment, but did not look back and did not speak. He swept out, his black cloak swirling behind him. Harry turned to Professor McGonagall beaming. "Thank you so much Professor!"  
"I remember my promises Mr. Potter," replied Professor McGonagall, "I trust you will not make me regret it." And then she smiled slightly, "Run along now Potter, I'm sure you would rather be at the feast."  
"Yes Professor and thank you!" Harry sped out of the office and down towards the Great Hall, his heart singing in his chest. He was going to be an Auror! He could hardly wait to tell Ron and Hermione.  
He arrived in the Great Hall, just as Dumbledore finished his speech, "And without further ado," his eyes fell on Harry and he winked, "dig in!"  
Food appeared up and down the tables and Harry hurried to the seat Ron and Hermione had saved him. He caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy through the teeming students; he looked surly and angry, his confident smirk gone. Harry found himself smiling, with the arrest and temporary incarceration of Lucius, the Malfoy family had been exposed for what it really was.  
"So, what was that about?" asked Hermione, looking up from her conversation with Parvati. Ron stopped glowering at the staff table to hear what Harry had to say.  
"I'm in Potions!" Harry said breathlessly, "McGonagall fixed it for me."  
"All right!" Ron thrust a fist in the air, "we're gonna be Aurors!"  
Hermione smiled happily, "Oh Harry that's great, think of how many more opportunities you'll have now!"  
Harry sat down and pulled a plate of pork chops towards him, suffused in a happy glow. As he ate he looked around, Ginny was seated between Dean and the Creevy brothers a few seats down. When she looked at him seriously Harry remembered he was going to have to tell her about the prophecy, but that didn't bother him as much as he thought it would have. In fact it felt good to finally be telling someone.  
His gaze wandered past to the staff table, Dumbledore was chatting amicably with Professor Flitwick, Hagrid was greeting Professor McGonagall, who had just come in behind Professor Snape. But Harry's eyes were quickly drawn to the end where it looked as though Krum was being lectured by Professor Tofty. Harry tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "Why are they at the table? He's not," he couldn't quite say it, it was just too weird.  
Hermione nodded vigorously, while Ron stabbed viciously at the food on his plate, narrowly missing his hand, "Yes he is, he's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! Professor Tofty is just here to supervise Viktor because he's so young."  
"Humph!" said Ron grumpily around a mouthful of potatoes, "Ee's just out of school 'imself, shouln't be teachin'!"  
"Oh Ron, do be quiet and don't speak while you're eating!" snapped Hermione waspishly.  
"Oy!" said Ron, although he did swallow first, "don't you get on my case just because I'm criticizing Vicky!"  
Hermione positively bristled, "Stop calling him that!"  
Ron seemed mollified by the fact that he had gotten her riled and did not pursue the argument, instead he and Harry fell into conversation about the Quidditch tryouts and who would be captain, while Hermione glowered and listened without interest.  
"Bet it's Katie," said Ron, "she's been on the team longer than any of us."  
"Well she can hold up the Chasers." replied Harry, "Ginny was on the team last year; it shouldn't be hard to shift her over to Chaser. We just need a third Chaser and some Beaters."  
"Don't say Dean," Ron glared at Harry, "I don't think it will work."  
"You're just saying that because he's dating Ginny!" snapped Hermione, "You liked him fine until that point!"  
After the feast they headed up to the dormitories, Hermione had wanted to show the first years the way, but Ron pointed out, rather forcefully, that it was the job of the fifth year prefects. Hermione bid them goodnight at the stairs and Harry and Ron trooped heavily up to the boys dormitory.  
"How was your summer Harry?" asked Seamus excitedly, Dean waved from his bed past Neville.  
"All right Seamus." said Harry grinning.  
"Soooo, what do ya think of our new teacher?" Seamus asked, digging Ron in the ribs.  
"Sod off!" Ron shook him off and moved to his bed grumpily throwing open his trunk.  
"Do you think he'll let us keep the DA?" asked Neville, pulling up his covers.  
"Do we really need it?" asked Harry, the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "I mean the whole reason we started it is because of that cow Umbridge." There was a rousing group of hisses from around the room. "If he's a decent teacher, what's the point?"  
"It's fun." Said Dean, grinning at Harry.  
"Yeah, it was." Harry smiled, reminiscing about the practices in the Room of Requirement.  
"Humph!" growled Ron, hurling his sheets aside and crashing down on his bed, "it's not like he'll be a good teacher anyway."  
"We'll see what happens." said Harry. The boys slowly fell asleep one by one, Harry lay down quietly, glad to be back where he belonged. 


	20. Chapter 19: The Calm Before

Well I was very happy to receive three reviews in only two days, thanks very much to LadyPotter1 and mrs-osborne's-class for those excellent reviews. Yes Angelus did provide the inspiration for the Reaper, I follow Angel avidly. I am hoping to be able to develop him in his own right though. Keep reading and I hope I won't disappoint you.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it; I wouldn't be writing this if I did.  
  
Chapter 18: The Calm Before  
Harry's eyes closed in sleep; he would have been wide awake in seconds if he had known what was happening just outside. A figure in a black coat leaned on a tree a small distance from the winged boars marking the beginning of the Hogwarts grounds. Behind him stood three lesser vampires, yellow eyes gleaming in the weak moonlight. There had been five shortly before.  
A man in a cloak and mask stood behind the group of undead, shifting from foot to foot, fingering his wand as he gazed around nervously. "Are you sure we're okay here?" he called quietly.  
"Calm down Nott," the Reaper smiled in amusement, "my sentries would let us know the second an alarm sounds, and you can bet one will sound pretty soon. But relax, try and enjoy your assignments. You have to be here anyway, you're my watchdog right?"  
"Pardon me if I fail to see any enjoyment in being right under Dumbledore's nose." snarled Nott.  
The Reaper grinned manically, "Yeah, thrilling huh? It just gives me chills."  
"You're insane." Nott spat.  
The Reaper's smile did not falter, "Probably, it's more fun that way you know." He looked pensive, and then nodded at the vampire directly next to him, "You now." he said, absently prodding at the tree's bark with his scythe blade.  
The designated vampire snarled mindlessly and loped forward. It quickly passed the Reaper and hurtled forward toward the school grounds. However, the second it passed the winged boars glowing, red, hairline cracks ran up its body like wildfire and it was reduced to dust in seconds.  
"Hm," the Reaper cut some more living bark off the tree, "I should have guessed something like this was in effect."  
He strode forward and knelt just outside the grounds, holding his scythe over the earth before him he slowly stretched out his hand. Straining, he barely touched the dirt path with his fingertips. He pulled back a second later, hissing in pain.  
"No good." He snarled, straightening up he glared in annoyance toward the school of Albus Dumbledore. "Trust that old goat to think of something like this." He grinned to himself, "Heh, 'old goat,' he's a whippersnapper compared to me, pretty sharp though." He shrugged unconcernedly, "Oh well, this is where alliances come in handy. Oh Nott?"  
"What?" grumbled Nott, still turning his masked face this way and that.  
Suddenly the Reaper was directly next to him, "Let's go see your boss, I've got a spell to request." He smiled coldly back up at the warm glow from the castle windows, seeking out Harry's. "In the meantime," his voice grew hard, "no peace for you." He shouted to his minions, making Nott wince. "Hey you lot! Come along, I've got a new job for you. Let's go Nott."  
Man and monster vanished, as did the minions, leaving behind a scarred tree, and some dust being blown in melancholy swirls by the wind.  
  
I hadn't planned to add this one in until later, but everyone seems to like the Reaper so I thought I'd put it in now. Thanks to my great reviewers! R&R please! 


	21. Chapter 20: Being Harry Potter

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I'm not a British lady richer than the Queen.  
  
Chapter 20: Being Harry Potter  
Harry awoke the next day feeling greatly refreshed and ready to start a new year at Hogwarts. Hopping out of bed he dressed while listening to the snores of his roommates. Deciding Ron needed all the sleep he could get after the nasty surprises he had experienced yesterday, Harry hurried downstairs without waking anyone. The common room was almost empty except for a few gossiping second years in the corner and a group of fifth year girls sitting in front of the fireplace.  
Harry moved through the room without stopping, deciding to get some breakfast while the Great Hall was relatively empty, he had found last night that he seemed to attract whispers and glances in crowds. While the whispers were ones of awe rather than apprehension, (like they were last year when everyone thought he was crazy,) they were still a source of great annoyance to Harry.  
As he strode down towards the Great Hall Harry suddenly heard fast footsteps behind him. He turned to see Ginny hurrying down after him. "Harry!" she called.  
Harry was surprised, she must have been in the common room to have just come down after him, he caught his breath watching her hair flying around her pretty face, which was set in a rather determined expression at the moment.  
"Good morning Gin," he started to say, but as he did so she bounded up to him, snagged him by the collar and yanked him into a side room.  
"It's later." She stated releasing him.  
"What?" gasped Harry, readjusting his collar so it didn't choke him.  
"You said you'd explain what you were going to say on the train later, well now it's later, so explain." She said, crossing her arms and barring the way to the door as if she expected him to run for it.  
That was exactly what Harry felt like doing, now that the time had come to actually tell his secret, he felt like running until he couldn't run anymore. But, looking at Ginny, he knew he couldn't do that. He sighed, "All right, pull up a chair."  
They both sat down facing one another, Harry sighed again, trying to put his thoughts in order. "All right, first of all, you know that prophecy the Death Eaters were after last year?"  
Ginny frowned, "The one about you and Voldemort? Yes, you said it smashed in the battle."  
Harry was shocked by her flippant use of the name, but he plowed on. "Yes it did, but I found out what it says anyway. Dumbledore knew, he told me after I got back, after Sirius," he didn't want to say "died," instead he kept going. "Anyway, he told me what it says."  
Ginny was looking at him with that same brilliant intensity he had seen on the train. "What does it say Harry, and why didn't you tell us?"  
"You'll see why when I tell you what it says." Harry replied, he took a deep breath and steeled himself. "Basically it says that a child would be born to parents who had defied the Dark Lord three times, who the Dark Lord would mark as his equal, and he would have powers that Voldemort doesn't know about. It ends by saying that neither can live while the other is alive."  
Ginny stared at him for so long Harry felt like his insides were squirming, but then she said, "And it pertains to you? You and him?"  
"Yeah," said Harry, "so you see; it all comes down to death. I kill him, or he kills me. That's all there is to it." He bowed his head, not wanting to see her reaction. "That's why I never said anything, who knows what this would do to you guys, would you still want to be around a marked man?" he closed his eyes.  
He really didn't know what to expect, his imagination ranged from a shocked silence to a sudden angry explosion. What he did not expect was for her to take his hand. He looked up in surprise, straight into her eyes, and he saw warmth and confidence there. "You'll do it Harry." She said her voice full of absolute certainty. "I know you will."  
Harry stared for a long moment, "I've got less faith in myself."  
Ginny smiled, "There's no reason you should, how many times have you come face to face with him and gotten away?"  
Harry thought about that for a moment, it was hard; his memories of those times seemed foggy, clouded by pain and struggle and eclipsed by a pair of flaring red eyes. He saw mist rising between tombstones on the hill, heard the mocking laughter of the Death Eaters, felt the black veil hanging in the Department of Mysteries. "Enough to know I can't go on getting away, better me than the others who seem to get it in my place." He couldn't keep the bitterness from intruding; maybe he never would totally get rid of it.  
Ginny's eyes flashed, "Don't be ridiculous Harry; you've got it in you. You just need to realize it."  
"Realize what?" Harry asked, "I'm just me, what's there to realize?"  
Ginny accosted his sight, "Maybe you need to realize that being who you are, that being Harry Potter, is something special."  
Harry stared at her for a long while, their faces almost touching. She stood up abruptly, "Let's go get some breakfast."  
Harry stood, bewildered, watching her head for the door, wondering how they had gone from him being special to breakfast in the blink of an eye. This seemed to keep happening with her. Shaking his head, he followed her out of the room.  
He kept pace with her all the way down to the Great Hall, but conversation was nonexistent, Ginny seemed to be mulling over what Harry had told her, and Harry found the prior conversation had made him pensive, their walk passed in silence.  
The Great Hall was only about a third full when they walked in. The only teachers present were Professor Dumbledore, who was chatting amicably to some very uncomfortable looking first years at the Ravenclaw table, Professor Flitwick attempting to fix his chair to fit his short stature with Professor Sinistra's help, and surprisingly Firenze was present, although he seemed to only be passing through.  
"Hello Firenze." Said Harry as the centaur trotted past.  
"Good day Harry Potter," replied Firenze, looking down at him, "Mars shines very bright this year, the trials shall come."  
"Erm, okay," said Harry, glancing at Ginny, who shrugged. Firenze was already moving away, his piece apparently spoken. "Nice to hear there's so much to look forward to." Ginny giggled, and then gave a little gasp, looking over to the Gryffindor table. Harry followed her line of sight.  
Hermione was sitting across from Krum, both apparently in some kind of discussion. Harry shook his head, glad now that he hadn't woken Ron. Hermione looked up, and waved them over smiling. Harry suddenly felt apprehensive, he hadn't seen Krum since the Triwizard, he wondered what this was going to be like. Ginny went forward without hesitation, so he followed briskly.  
"Good morning!" Hermione said brightly, "Viktor was just telling me about why he decided to quit his work in Bulgaria and become a teacher." Harry had been wondering this himself; he couldn't imagine quitting an internationally acclaimed Quidditch team to come teach at Hogwarts. He mustered a smile as Krum stood up and shook his hand.  
"Harry, it is good to see you again," Krum said smiling, "my apologies for not staying vith everyone at the platform, I had an urgent appointment vith my supervisor."  
"He means Professor Tofty." Hermione said helpfully to the blank look on Harry's face.  
Harry shook Krum's hand, still not really believing he was back, he smiled anyway, "Of course, nice to have you here, you can't do worse than our last Professor."  
Krum smiled slightly, "Yes, Herm-own-ninny has just been telling me about vhat has happened lately, I hope ve can do things a bit better." He glanced up at the staff table, where Professor Tofty had just appeared, "I'm sorry I must go." He smiled at Hermione, nodded to Harry and Ginny, and left.  
Harry sat down in the vacated seat, looking over Hermione's shoulder he saw Ron threading his way through the tables. Harry could tell from the flush on Ron's face that he had not missed the exchange. He suddenly had a very bad feeling about his hopes for few arguments between Ron and Hermione this year.  
"Well?" Ron said, seating himself next to Hermione with at thump and looking at her intently.  
Hermione eyed him, "Well, what?"  
"Why's he here?" Ron asked, glaring at her as though the question should have been obvious, "Why'd he leave Quidditch for teaching?"  
Hermione frowned and turned away, "Maybe later." She quickly pointed, distracting their attention; Ron's head had begun to resemble a boiling over teakettle. "Here come the owls." 


	22. Chapter 21: Confrontation

Here's Chapter 21, thank you to kneazle225 for the interesting review. For those of you who like the Reaper, don't worry, you'll be seeing a lot of him and his influence in coming chapters.  
  
Disclaimer: I think we've established I'm not J.K. Rowling and therefore don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 21: Confrontation  
"Look at this," Ron held out his schedule, practically having to shout over the din in the Great Hall, "History of Magic and Double Potions again on Mondays. What on earth are they thinking?"  
"I can't believe that's still a required class," remarked Harry, glowering at his own copy, "I can't imagine how knowing who was chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards during the Middle Ages is supposed to help me be an Auror."  
Ron chortled but Hermione looked severe, "It's general knowledge you two, it's important to know history."  
"I'll leave it to the historians,' Ron replied, "they get paid for it." Hermione sniffed. Ron looked up sharply, "Yeah? And what do you want to be that makes that worthless class so important?" he challenged.  
"Erm, well I," Hermione looked disconcerted at Ron and Harry's avid stares, "I've thought about," she paused again.  
Ron cocked an eyebrow, "Yes?"  
Hermione looked away, "I've thought about being a teacher." She said very quickly.  
"A teacher?!" Ron was incredulous, but Harry thought differently.  
"You'd be a good teacher Hermione." He said, smiling at her.  
"Thanks Harry." She smiled back.  
Ron was still wrestling with the idea, "A teacher? What would you teach?"  
"Oh I don't know," Hermione said shyly, "I could teach anything I guess."  
"Except Divination?" asked Harry ironically, Hermione snorted and Ron grinned. No matter that she now knew there were real prophecies, nothing would ever get Hermione into Professor Trelawnwy's tower or Firenze's forest room.  
They finished their breakfast quickly and hurried away to History of Magic, Ron's pessimism seemed to be well placed. As usual Professor Binns launched into a lecture and droned on and on, without even a congratulations on achieving N.E.W.T. level. Hermione took detailed notes while the rest of class stared off into space or fidgeted. Harry himself felt like his energy was being sapped from his limbs just by listening to the monotone.  
"Good grief," Ron yawned as they stepped out into the hall from class, and headed down to the dungeons for Potions, "you'd think he'd at least change his tone just a little after so many speeches like that, just to spice things up a little."  
Harry laughed, "I'm pretty sure ghosts don't change very much, he can't even keep our names straight, much less know we'd like a change of pace."  
Hermione grinned, in a rare display of humor at the expense of a teacher, "For such an accomplished historian his memory is abysmal. His next lesson should be informative though." She was suddenly serious.  
Harry looked at her, "What are you talking about? He hasn't said anything interesting in years, not since his lecture on the Chamber of Secrets."  
Hermione made an exasperated noise, "Weren't either of you listening at the end of the lecture when he said what he'd be talking about next time?" Both Harry and Ron just stared at her, "Okay stupid question." She lowered he voice conspiratorially, "He's going to be lecturing on famous vampires."  
Harry suddenly was interested, "You think we'll be able to learn something about the Reaper?"  
Ron snorted, "It's impossible to learn anything from Binns, anyway, what's there to know?"  
"Who knows Ron," Hermione said seriously, "but it might be useful to find out about him."  
"Yes," a silkily drawling voice interjected, "never know when you might need that little edge Weasel, especially mudbloods, the worlds a dangerous place these days."  
All three turned to see Malfoy standing next to the door to Snape's dungeon, flanked as always by Crabbe and Goyle. There was a substantial crowd around them in which activity seemed to have ceased. Harry could see some former Iquisitorial Squad Slytherins, his Gryffindor friends as well as several members of the D.A. from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, although the Ravenclaws were Michael Corner and Cho, so Harry didn't spare them more than a glance.  
Ron's hand flew into his pocket for his wand, but Harry felt he didn't have to. He wasn't afraid of anything Malfoy could do; now it was his turn for the cutting remarks. "Hello Malfoy, heard form your dad lately? Or does he have time off from his muggle-baiting for you?"  
Malfoy's hand flew to his wand in a repeat of what had happened last time Harry had faced him. Harry didn't draw his wand until a second later, giving Malfoy time so they had their wands pointed at the same instant. "You'll regret that Potter!" spat Malfoy, flushing.  
"Will you look at that," came a pompous voice as Ernie MacMillan stepped out of the crowd, with most of the D.A. members present behind him, Corner, his friends, and Cho both stayed back, but Cho had twitched as though she wanted to go. "The last time I saw your face it was green not red."  
Laughter rippled around Harry's friends, but Harry seeing the Slytherins moving to back Malfoy, waved them back. He didn't want a brawl, he would do this himself. His friends complied, but reluctantly. With no one to oppose the Slytherins had to back down as well.  
"I'm waiting to regret that comment Malfoy." Harry smiled confidently at Ron and Hermione, "You want his hair?" he shifted his wand to aim at Malfoy's scalp, when some sixth sense told him to put it away. He quickly stuffed his hand back in his pocket, but kept his wand at the ready. There was a nervous rustle and students dispersed quickly as Snape moved through them. His cold gaze swept the scene, Harry tried to look innocent, but his glare might have given him away.  
"Put up that wand Mr. Malfoy." Snape said calmly and swept into the classroom without another word.  
Malfoy did so, and moved in behind the Potions Master, glaring at Harry. Ron glared back and Hermione sighed, "Welcome back to Potions." Harry felt angry, but somehow elated, he was going to give those two a year they'd never forget. 


	23. Chapter 22: The Right to Kill

Here's another chapter about the Reaper, I hope this lives up to what my readers wish to see.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I'm definitely not richer than the Queen of England.  
  
Chapter 22: The Right to Kill  
The Reaper faced Lucius Malfoy, flipping his lighter on and off as though he were itching to use it on Malfoy's face. "Where's your boss?" he asked, putting it away and clenching his fists at the small of his back he glanced around, "I can't say I approve or disapprove of his choice of meeting place."  
They were surrounded on all sides by graves marked by wooden crosses; mist swirled between the markers, pooling at their feet and obscuring the graveyard past ten feet in either direction. Malfoy grinned beneath his mask. "I hardly think 'your boss' is the appropriate statement considering he is your master as well." The Reaper said nothing. "And as for the décor," Malfoy laid his hand on the nearest cross, "I felt an edge might be needed for my news."  
"News," the Reaper said, baring his fangs, "do you have the means for the spell I requested then? And when do I get my shot at the rest of that family of red heads?"  
Malfoy just smirked; it was a cold voice from the mist that answered. "Yes, I have found the means you require, you shall have them as soon as our conversation is over. As for that family of blood-traitors, your 'shot,' as you so quaintly call it, will not come, you will move on to another."  
The Reaper's eyes flared yellow; his scythe appeared in his hand, snapping out of thin air. He glared murderously as Malfoy turned and bowed to Voldemort as he materialized out of the chill mist.  
The Reaper's knuckles cracked as he gripped his scythe, "You dare deny me the right to kill?!" he snarled, his fangs made a scraping sound as he gritted his jaw.  
"As I recall you chose not to kill the target I assigned you," Voldemort smiled his cold smile. "What is the trouble of going for another assignment?"  
The Reaper hissed, "They were educated," he growled, "now they must die before they profit from it, that is the way of things!" He smashed his scythe handle down on the ground and stabbed a finger at Voldemort. "You will not deny me!"  
"I can and will." Voldemort snarled in return, then smiled, "Rest assured Reaper they will die, but they have been promised to others."  
The Reaper glared, "Others?"  
Malfoy smirked, "Others."  
The Reaper raised his scythe again, addressing Voldemort, "So, if I kill him do I get them back?"  
Malfoy, quickly raised his wand so it pointed straight up. Quite as a whisper every cross in the field rose into the air hovering, each ended in a sharp, wooden stake. "Anytime you think you can," he smirked, "make your move." The crosses moved closer, poised on all sides.  
The Reaper's eyes flicked around, and he seemed to relax minutely. Malfoy's smile turned triumphant, "I knew you'd see reason." He drawled condescendingly. Suddenly the Reaper's arm flicked out like a whiplash, the scythe flew spinning vertically, the Reaper snapped his fingers and the weapon's progress halted immediately a second later. Malfoy stood stock still, the blade's point touching the tip of his nose.  
The Reaper stood like a statue, his arm still out flung. "I have lived far longer than your puny span of years," he whispered calmly, "there is nothing you can do that I cannot counter, remember that Lucius Malfoy."  
"Stand down," hissed Voldemort calmly; he had not moved during the entire exchange, "you are not a fool, so you will accept this new assignment." He grinned again, "Of that I am confident." He flicked a photograph toward the vampire, the Reaper caught it deftly. "I believe a search of Darius' knowledge will tell you anything you wish to know about them. One of my servants knows much as well if you care to make any more inquiries"  
The Reaper looked at the photograph, and then slowly the yellow of his eyes faded to the melancholy grey that had been Darius Raider's. He smiled, "Oh yes, yes this will do nicely." He snapped his fingers again, and the scythe flew back to him and he turned to leave. Before he did so he paused, "I surrender my right to you this once Dark Lord, let it be known that I will not do so again without," he clicked his fangs, "complaint." He fingered the photograph, "I believe I have free reign?"  
Voldemort smiled, "Of course. Avery will accompany you."  
The Reaper nodded and vanished into the mist like a lost soul. Voldemort turned to a furious Malfoy. "Yes Lucius?"  
"My Lord," Malfoy spat, glaring after the vampire, "if I may ask for the right to kill when the time comes?"  
"Now, now, Lucius," the Dark Lord admonished mockingly, "let's not be greedy." He too turned to regard the place the vampire had disappeared. "I think Bellatrix will want a hand in it, after all she has been robbed of her former playthings." He laughed and apparated, Lucius glared for a moment and then followed suit, the crosses clattering to the ground. 


	24. Chapter 23: Darius According to Hagrid

Here's the next chapter and I have to say thank you very much to Omega Lyght and Meredith for two of the best reviews I've had so far, it's strange that both your computers have the same problem, if anyone else has trouble leaving a review please tell me via e-mail.  
  
Disclaimer: The name's not J.K. Rowling, therefore I don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 23: Hagrid's Friend  
Potions wasn't the least bit improved at N.E.W.T. level, Harry had no idea how he was going to survive the year without bashing Snape. The Potions Master hadn't mellowed in the least.  
Somehow Neville had managed to secure a spot in class. "I need it to become a Herbologist," he had told them, "since most of the plants we study are key ingredients in all kinds of potions." Unfortunately his determination hadn't prevented him from spilling his extinguishing solution on the floor and somehow lighting it on fire; he received a detention the very first day.  
Harry hadn't asked him how he had gotten in, (Perhaps Professor Sprout had intervened for him.) there was no way Neville had made an O in Potions, but Harry didn't want to make Neville feel bad, after all he himself hadn't made an O. Ron, of course, was less, subtle, but a timely elbow from Hermione had saved an awkward silence, although Harry did have to listen to another blistering row. Between Snape's sadistic class, a mountain of homework, and the explosive tension between his two best friends Harry's first day back was a stressful one.  
"What do you say we go visit Hagrid after dinner?" Harry asked as they walked into the Great Hall.  
"Oh, but Harry we've got homework to do." Hermione protested.  
"Come off it Hermione," Ron replied, sounding exasperated, "it's our first day back!"  
Hermione was unfazed, "All the more reason to get a head start on the year."  
"You mean you don't want to see Hagrid?" Harry asked, knowing the result.  
"Oh don't be silly Harry, of course I want to see him, I just worry sometimes that you two don't work hard enough."  
"We're fine Hermione!" Ron insisted, sitting down and pulling everything in reach towards himself, "Let's just go see him ok? I want to know what he's been doing."  
That settled they ate a quick meal and set off down to Hagrid's cabin in the sunset. They could see the lights on in the windows, but no one answered the knock, except for Fang, who came barreling around the house and nearly knocked Hermione down with his enthusiastic greeting. Ron caught her before she fell, but the boarhound sent him reeling too. The end result was both of them sprawled in the grass tangled in each other and trying not to look like they were in a compromising situation.  
Harry was stifling laughter when he realized that Hagrid still hadn't answered the knock. "Do you think he's okay?" he asked Ron and Hermione, suppressing a grin as they both scrambled up blushing. Harry pushed open the door and peeked in. Hagrid was there, or at least most of him, his head was in the fireplace surrounded by emerald flames.  
Ron and Hermione came in determinedly avoiding each other's eyes. "What's he doing?" asked Hermione.  
"Don't know," replied Harry "must be talking to someone."  
"I wonder why he's using Floo Powder," said Ron looking on curiously, "the network's not safe, Dad told me."  
"The Order has ways of making it safer I'm sure." Hermione said sagely, "didn't you see the phoenix feather Remus used to call Dumbledore?"  
"Oh yeah," Ron said scratching his chin, "well, let's get his attention."  
"Ron don't!" Hermione squeaked, but Ron had already strode up to Hagrid and given him a sharp prod in the back.  
Hagrid's entire huge frame jerked in surprise, and he pulled his head from the flames roaring, "Who in the bloody hell?! Oh, it's jes you three," He looked embarrassed for a moment and quite flustered, "hold on a minute." He jammed his head back into the fireplace and seemed to speak for a minute, then pulled out as the emerald flames dissipated.  
"Who were you talking to?" asked Ron curiously as Hagrid turned without looking at them and began getting out his tea set.  
"Oh, erm, I was jes speakin' ter Olympe," Hagrid said, and them he did turn around, "jes abou' some stuff fer the Order, yeh know."  
"What's that?" asked Hermione, pointing to something red on Hagrid's cheek.  
"Nothin'!" Hagrid said quickly, swiping at it with his hankerchief and setting down some cups on the table. "Well it's good ter see yeh again after so long!"  
"Good to see you too Hagrid," Harry smiled up at him and sat down at the table.  
Hagrid looked at him seriously, "Yeh're doin' all righ' then?"  
"Yeah," Harry said, and meant it, he was basically okay, his problems hadn't gone away, they just seemed more manageable from this side of his talk with Ginny. "yeah I'm all right."  
Hagrid looked at him carefully, and then apparently decided he was right. "That's good Harry, that's jes great."  
"So, um Hagrid, how's," Hermione didn't seem to know how to say it. "How's your little friend?"  
"Eh?" Hagrid didn't seem to grasp the question.  
"She means Grawp Hagrid." Ron translated, rolling his eyes, "How is Grawp?"  
"Oh! Well he's makin' great strides, Dumbledore was right pleased ter know he can speak English pretty good now that I've been teachin' him."  
"You told Dumbledore?" Hermione was incredulous, "Wasn't he mad?"  
"Naw," Hagrid took a sip of his tea, "he was right thrilled actually, o' course he did give me a huge talking' to for not tellin' him about Grawpy in the firs' place. I shoulda known I couldn't keep it a secret from him, he knew before I decided ter tell him."  
"Big surprise," Ron said chortling, "Dumbledore knows everything."  
"Not everything," Harry muttered over his teacup, thinking of his last one on one meeting with the Headmaster, "not everything."  
Silence greeted his statement; Harry looked up to see his three friends looking at him in puzzlement and concern, Harry felt awkward, but didn't explain his comment.  
"Well anyhow," Hagrid began tentatively, "How was yer summer? I mean besides the obvious bad parts." He added quickly, his face became dark, "Heard abou' it I did, sorry abou' yer brother Ron."  
"Yeah, well he's back now and he's okay." Ron said, a little uncomfortably, Bill and the twins still hadn't forgiven Percy; Charlie had come to see him and apparently made peace. Harry knew the rest of the brothers would come around; they just needed time to get used to the situation.  
Hagrid was shaking his head in apparent disbelief, "It's a ruddy disaster," he sighed, "I never thought in a million years Raider'd lose it like that."  
"Did you know him Hagrid?" asked Hermione gently. Ron looked up quickly. Harry was surprised, he'd never thought of that, but now that he did it made perfect sense. Hagrid was a member of the Order as well, he'd probably seen Darius many times, or Darius as he had been.  
"Yeah, yeah I knew 'im," Hagrid said, Harry was surprised to hear sadness in Hagrid's voice, "I knew 'im, poor blighter." he seemed to stare off into space, "He was quite a bloke, always used ter come see me, just ter talk yeh know? He used ter come and stay for a while. He even came ter see me after that bloody Skeeter wrote that article abou' me."  
"And you let him in?" asked Ron indignantly, "we practically pounded your door in and you didn't come."  
"He did pound the door in." Hagrid said, smiling at the look on their faces, "I jes fixed it before Dumbledore arrived."  
"Why did he want to see you so badly?" asked Harry, he was still having trouble grasping the concept of Hagrid being friends with someone who turned into the Reaper.  
"He jes wanted ter tell me not to think negatively, he said that compared to him I wasn't even close ter bein' a monster." Hagrid replied, and shook his head, "Yeh know he always was convinced he was no good, always used ter say he would never find peace. That's why he came ter see me, he wanted ter 'put things in perspective' or something' like that."  
"He told you that you weren't a monster," Hermione said, listening shrewdly, "but he said he was a monster?"  
"Yeah," Hagrid replied, "said he could always hear the voices of all those poor souls he'd snuffed all those years ago, said they'd never shut up, an' that I was lucky I'd never done nuthin' like that, I still had a chance ter prove to the world I wasn't a monster." Hagrid shook his head again, "Poor bloke never really thought of much else. He was afraid, terrified really, that he'd become like that again, asked me ter do my best ter get rid of him if that ever happened." Hagrid looked mournful at the very thought.  
Harry glanced around, Hermione looked thoughtful and pensive, Ron seemed ill at ease with this conversation. Harry really didn't know what to think, he couldn't imagine what it might have been like to live like Darius had. Suddenly Harry felt very sorry that he had even heard this information, it complicated things too much. It wasn't so righteous to hate the Reaper now that he knew the Reaper was the key to Darius' survival, and that made Harry uncomfortable.  
Hagrid stared off into space for a moment and then, apparently sensing the tension he had built up in the room, switched pace, "Well, what have you three been doin'? I tell yeh I've got some great stuff planned fer class this term."  
They spent an enjoyable hour discussing classes, Quidditch, and Hagrid's escapades in the Forbidden Forest with Grawp. Harry relegated what he had learned about Darius to the back of his mind, he'd deal with it later. They were roaring with laughter at Hagrid's story about Professor Flitwick's first sight of Grawp when there was a knock on the door.  
"I'll get it," Harry said, jumping up and going to the door. As it turned out it was Professor Flitwick himself. The laughter behind him abruptly died.  
'Mr. Potter," he squeaked, smiling at Harry, "the Headmaster would like to see you, just go up to his office please."  
"Uh, sure thing Professor," Harry replied, surprised, he waved goodbye to his friends and headed out the door.  
As he left he heard Professor Flitwick pull up a chair and say cheerily, "Now, what was the big joke?" Shaking his head in sympathy of Hagrid and laughing to himself he headed up to the castle. 


	25. Chapter 24: A Trainer

Here's chapter 24 I really do apologize for my record with postings lately, I will try to update more often in the future.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 24: A Trainer  
The gargoyle blocking the entrance to Dumbledore's office hopped aside for Harry without a password, it must have been forewarned of his arrival. He ascended the spiral staircase and knocked lightly. He did not receive a "come in" but heard Fawkes give a musical trill, so he felt it was safe to enter.  
He walked in, several of the portraits called out greetings and waved, "Oh, is he here for another vandalism session?" he heard Phineas Nigellus say above his head, before the witch next to him shushed him.  
Fawkes soared down from his perch to land on Harry's shoulder singing and trilling in that way that never failed to lift Harry's spirits. "Hello Fawkes." He said, smiling at the phoenix, Fawkes ran his beak through Harry's messy hair and flew back to his perch piping his song.  
"Ah, good evening Harry," Harry looked up to see Dumbledore emerging from the depths of his office.  
"Good evening sir," Harry replied, seating himself in the armchair Dumbledore provided, "you wanted to see me?"  
"Yes, we've got a few things to discuss and then I'll let you go." The Headmaster sat down behind his desk. "First of all, let me welcome you back, I do hope this year will be better than the last."  
"Me too sir." Harry said fervently.  
"Dumbledore smiled, "Now, let me tell you something about our current situation. Voldemort is, at this present time, under strength. His Death Eaters are not as numerous nor as powerful as they once were, even with the Dementors behind him he has not reached his former strength. This had led to some complacency on the part of many in the Ministry." Harry could guess who, Fudge was probably patting himself on the back right now. "However, he is close enough that he has begun to undertake operations again, like he did in the last war and therefore it is not safe to relax. He needs only a little advantage and we will be hard pressed to stop him from gaining incredible power and influence."  
"Hmm," Harry said pensively, a dangerous situation indeed. "Is he close to getting that advantage Professor?"  
"I believe he is Harry," Dumbledore said gravely, looking at Harry over his half-moon glasses. "the Reaper, whether unwittingly or not, has provided him with just the sort of edge he requires. Lesser vampires have flocked to serve this legend, and he is capable of tying up many of our best Aurors in a mad chase to catch and contain him. While this happens, Voldemort may be able to consolidate power quickly and gather many new witches and wizards to his cause."  
"Why tell me this Professor?" Harry asked, a bit confused at this wellspring of information.  
"Because I believe it is important that you know Harry," Dumbledore replied, smiling at him, "and because I believe you can be of help to me."  
Harry felt his heart leap, "What do you want me to do?"  
"Go about your schooling as normally as you can," Dumbledore told him, "But," he said, before Harry could protest, "I want you to reopen the D.A. as a club, under the sponsorship of a teacher of your choice. I realize now that having our younger generation well-trained may be of great value in the future and you have demonstrated very well that you know how to lead effectively."  
Harry closed his mouth at this. A trainer? He'd never thought of himself as an effective leader. He was just Harry, just Harry Potter the Gryffindor. 'Being Harry Potter is something special' Ginny's words floated back to him. Maybe she was right, Harry squared his shoulders, "Okay Professor, who's it going to be open to?"  
"Oh I think the original members and anyone fifth year and above who wishes to learn" Dumbledore winked at him, "I suggest you get your friends to help you, because if I'm not mistaken, there will be far more students interested now."  
Harry swallowed, suddenly thinking of presiding over a Great Hall half-full of eager students firing jinxes and curses at each other. He was definitely going to get some help from the original members. Hermione would be good; she wanted to be a teacher after all. Ron could teach, as long as Hermione wasn't in his immediate presence. Even Neville had done well, perhaps well enough to teach what he had learned. Thinking of this Harry felt a bit better; he wondered how many people would show up.  
He looked up to see Dumbledore viewing him with what looked suspiciously like pride. His eyes twinkled merrily, and suddenly Harry felt like that awed little eleven year old boy who had been star struck by the enigmatic Headmaster.  
"You cannot know how much better I feel seeing you all right Harry." Dumbledore said quietly, and just for a moment he looked like that tired old man again, but it was gone the instant he smiled. "Good luck, I'll see you again at the end of the week, please have a teacher to sponsor your club by then."  
"Thank you sir, I'll do my best." Harry said, and headed out the door towards the dormitories, feeling weary from the long day, but with a fire burning inside that no weariness could snuff, already forming training routines and plans in his head.  
He walked through the common room on his way to his bed, waving to Ginny and Dean as he went by. Ginny frowned, obviously knowing something was up, but Harry felt he'd explain later when he could call a meeting of all the people he wanted to teach. He smiled slightly to himself knowing that Dean wouldn't be one of the teachers he selected, and then wondered where on earth this resentment of Dean had come from. Perhaps Ron was rubbing off on him.  
Shaking his head, Harry hurried up to his dormitory, eager to tell Ron and Hermione about what had transpired, he thought he could hear their voices in the boys dormitory. 


	26. Chapter 25: A Meeting Arrangement

I really have to thank pr0ph3t for his great review, it's great to know more people are appreciating this story. These good reviews help me ignore the discouraging ones. Thanks to you all, you know who you are.  
  
Disclaimer: The name ain't J.K. Rowling, therefore I don't own anything you recognize.  
  
Chapter 25: A Meeting Arrangement  
Hermione and Ron were both enthusiastic with the idea of the D.A. as a club; Ron because he liked the idea of being in charge of some people for once and Hermione because she liked to organize. Harry had barely gotten the news out before Hermione was talking about how to organize groups of trainers and what kind of books to consult for new spells to teach and Ron was fantasizing about bossing Zacharias Smith and Michael Corner around.  
"Who are we going to get to sponsor it?" he asked Harry.  
Harry thought, "McGonagall?"  
Hermione approved, "She'd be good."  
But Ron disagreed, "Can you imagine what that would be like? Harry wouldn't be the one doing the training, she would be lecturing. That's just how she is, come on you know I'm right."  
Harry had to admit he had a point. They thought for a moment, "Old Flitwick is already up to his neck in Charms clubs, he won't have time for this." Harry mused, "Do you think Firenze would sponsor a club?"  
"Snape'd be more likely to do it," Hermione scoffed, "do you honestly think Firenze would voluntarily go to a public social event?"  
"Madame Hooch only sponsors flying programs, and Professor Sprout wouldn't know anything about it," mused Ron, "What about Hagrid?"  
"I'm not sure Hagrid is the right choice," Hermione replied shuddering, "he'd probably bring in a manticore for us to practice on."  
"Practice running away from you mean." Ron said sarcastically, although he too looked spooked at the very thought.  
"Well, if you come up with any ideas let me know," Harry said yawning, "we need one by the end of the week."  
"How about Vik," Ron coughed explosively over Hermione, she glared at him.  
"I think I'll turn in too," Ron said quickly, "got to be ready for Vicky's class tomorrow." Hermione walked stiffly out of the dormitory, pausing to shoot Ron a look that would have sent an army of vampires running for cover.  
Harry whistled softly, "You should really give it a rest mate; she'll have your head next."  
"Maybe," Ron was looking after her with a mix of satisfaction and deep-rooted fear on his face, "I don't know why, it just irritates me that famous git had to come back just when things were," he broke off, glancing sideways at Harry, who was looking at him ironically, he cleared his throat loudly, "Anyway, maybe I will give it a rest a little, she flies off the handle enough as it is." Harry laughed and went to bed as Dean, Seamus and Neville arrived in turn and fell asleep.  
Harry spent the next morning thinking of whom to ask to sponsor the D.A. Meanwhile he contacted as many of the original members that he could find in the Great Hall that morning; Ginny, Neville, the Creevey brothers, Parvati, Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Ernie Macmillan and the Hufflepuffs, Luna Lovegood, and Katie Bell (who had been appointed Quidditch captain as Harry and Ron had guessed.) and told them to meet him in the Room of Requirement later that evening. Before he could get everyone though, he had a bit of a difficult task to attempt.  
He stood in the Great Hall, looking at the Ravenclaw table; Cho and her friends were sitting on one side with Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein across from them. He hesitated, this had the potential to be one of the most unpleasant things he had ever done, but he couldn't count on Luna to recruit from Ravenclaw, Luna just had the wrong effect on people without really meaning to. Although, he reflected, Michael Corner might not be one of the best recruiters either.  
Hermione looked at him in concern, "You're sure you want to do this Harry?" she asked, "Ron or I can do it."  
"No," Harry shook his head, "I can't treat them different than the others."  
"Why?" asked Ron around his scrambled eggs, "None of the others want to thump you every time you come within a mile of Cho. Let me do it Harry, I'll set him straight."  
"Thumping him isn't going to make him less protective Ron." Hermione scolded him, "That's not the answer."  
"Then what is?" Ron sounded as though he still believed punching was still the best form of diplomacy as far as Corner was concerned. "Look at the way he's acting, you can't expect Harry to be nice to him."  
"He's acting that way because he feels threatened by Harry." Hermione said sagely.  
"Darn right," Ron chortled, "I'd say Harry demonstrated that pretty well on the train."  
"I'm not talking about Harry physically threatening him," Hermione rolled her eyes, "he's afraid that Harry might take Cho from him."  
Ron snorted in surprise, but Harry felt he should have guessed this, plus Ginny had told him earlier that this was the case. He smiled ironically, "I don't suppose it would help to tell him I'm not interested in her anymore?"  
"Actions speak louder than words Harry." Said Hermione in that annoyingly superior tone she always seemed to use in these situations.  
"Whatever that means." Harry snorted, just to annoy her as much as she annoyed him with that tone, and walked off towards the Ravenclaw table before she could respond with a witty remark that he probably wouldn't have an answer to. He just wanted to get this over with.  
As he approached Cho looked up and saw him, her face immediately turned apprehensive. Harry tried to soften his expression so as not to alarm her, but it was hard when the image of Michael yelling at Ginny kept popping into his head. Michael and his friends all turned around to see what she was looking at, as soon as his eyes fell on Harry Michael glared. Harry sighed, this did not look to be a great start.  
"What do you want?" Michael asked sourly, standing up and facing Harry.  
"We're starting up the D.A. as a club," Harry said, putting his hands behind his back, looking at the startled expressions of the people around helped him relax a little, "I'd like all of your help to recruit, and there will be a meeting of the original members tonight after classes in the old meeting place." He looked hard at Marietta Edgecomb, he hadn't like her much before she'd betrayed them and his opinion really hadn't changed, she'd sided with Umbridge when they had trusted her. To harry she represented all those injustices he had suffered over the last year form people who should have been helping him. But he supposed he'd better mend fences, "All original members are welcome to attend." He said, looking pointedly at Marrietta. Cho seemed about to say something, but Harry turned and walked away, he had managed to avoid the shouting match he had feared and he wasn't about to tempt fate by sticking around.  
He caught up with Ron and Hermione as they headed out of the Great Hall to Defense Against the Dark Arts class. To Harry's surprise, Ron was calm and collected, no more nervous than he usually was going into a new class. But they hit a slight impasse when they stepped into the classroom, Ron automatically began drifting towards the back of the class, while Hermione began drifting towards the front. Harry was left in a slowly widening gap unsure which way to go. He stood wavering in the middle until Ron finally snorted in irritation and followed Hermione to some seats in the front. He was glaring until Hermione turned and smiled at him gratefully, his expression softened somewhat and he sat back apparently content.  
'Hm,' Harry thought, 'no row between them, that's a first.' He wondered what this meant for Ron and Hermione, kicking back he smiled as Krum came up to the head of the class. 


	27. Chapter 26: Forgive and Remember

Well I've just received a blistering review from billy, all I have to say is that you really ought to read page 575 of OotP, (assuming you own OotP billy) that's where my information comes from. If I'm wrong I apologize, if I'm right I would suggest you keep your idiot reviews to yourself. Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about feel free to examine billy's review. Anyone know who's right?  
  
Chapter 26: Forgive and Remember  
As it turned out Defense Against the Dark Arts class wasn't too bad, the only thing Harry found odd about it was that "Professor Krum" was really just a title. Krum had barely stopped and introduced himself to the class when old Professor Tofty had stumped to the front leaning heavily on a staff. "Good day class," he said in his squeaky voice, "I am Professor Tofty, and this, as you know, is my trainee Professor Krum. Well, I am here to supervise your development over this year because of the fragmented teaching you have had on this subject. Our objective will be to teach you defensive spellwork, there will be some theory, but only as much as you need to know to do the spells properly and understand the conditions under which they should be used."  
"Well, at least we get to learn spells this year." Ron whispered to Harry. Harry nodded, that alone was an improvement over Umbridge's worthless class.  
"Our first lesson will be the Confounding Charm, write this down." began Professor Tofty. Most of the class was used up in taking notes on the effects and uses of the spell, where it came from and how it should be used. There was a smattering of what Umbridge had tried to teach them, but Professor Tofty treated it as mere theory instead of absolute truth, which made much more sense. Krum stood there the entire time, looking ill at ease. Professor Tofty would call upon him at intervals to explain some key point and then watch him as he did so. Near the end of class, Krum came forward to teach the practical spellwork. "I vould like a volunteer please." He stated, looking around the class.  
Ron stiffened as Hermione's hand went up, but Krum chose Seamus Finnigan instead. Krum had him stand opposite and then, making sure everyone was watching, he whirled his wand and made a flicking motion at Seamus's face, "Confoundus!"  
Seamus's eyes rolled, he seemed to lose at least partial control of his limbs and staggered about like a drunk. Parvati squealed and jumped back into Lavender as Seamus leaned heavily on her desk. Krum smiled tightly at her reaction and performed the counter charm. Seamus stood up and was perfectly fine. Some of the class applauded appreciatively. Krum smiled again, but said nothing as Professor Tofty dismissed the class.  
"That would be a good spell to teach at the D.A." Ron remarked as they hurried out of class to head for Herbology.  
Hermione looked troubled, "We should have gotten a chance to practice ourselves, and he really doesn't let Viktor teach very much."  
"Well you admitted yourself he's pretty young to be a teacher." Said Harry, slinging his bookbag over his shoulder, "Maybe he'll get to teach more after Professor Tofty observes him a little more."  
"Yeah well," Ron interrupted, obviously wanting to steer the conversation in another direction, "what's going to happen at the meeting tonight?"  
"I was just thinking of telling everyone how it was going to work and address any problems; we're going to need everyone's help if the D.A. turns out to be popular."  
Herbology passed uneventfully until Professor Sprout assigned a lengthy essay on the uses of mimbulus mimbletonia, Neville was the only one who looked elated. "That's three already!" moaned Justin Finch-Fletchley.  
The day passed uneventfully, upon returning to the common room Ron and Harry set to work on their essays at Hermione's urging. They spent most of the day poring over Herbology notes and looking up odd and obscure places to find mimbulus mimbletonia. Harry's frustration level after finishing was nearly at the boiling point when he checked his watch and discovered it was almost time for the meeting to start.  
"Let's go!" he jumped up, "I want to be there before everyone else."  
They hurried to the tapestry and performed the necessary three passes. When the door appeared, Harry opened it and once again found himself in the old D.A. room; the only difference he had time to notice was the markers on the floor. Two circles joined by a long column with marks of exact length up and down it like a ruler. "What are these?" he asked.  
"They're dueling markers," Hermione replied, looking at them curiously. "They're used for formalized wizarding duels."  
"Well they weren't here before," remarked Ron, "I wonder why they're here."  
"Someone must have needed them." Hermione stated, looking at Harry and Ron suspiciously.  
Harry shrugged and turned as Dean and Ginny came through the door, laughing and joking. Again that twinge rose up in his chest, but he forced it down, he didn't have time to deal with it. Seamus, Lavender, Parvati and Padma Patil, the Creevey brothers, Ernie MacMillan, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley all came in at different intervals. Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot came in looking slightly nervous, but they calmed down when Harry nodded in a friendly manner, Harry knew his Ravenclaw problems started and ended with Michael Corner. He considered Cho to be an observer, although he had to admit she probably supported Michael over him.  
Neville and Luna came in together; Luna had the same dreamy look on her face that she always had and she was wearing her necklace of butterbeer caps again, she smiled at Harry and Ron and drifted over to sit on a cushion. Harry was about to say hello to Neville when he saw the look on his face. Neville looked exactly like Seamus under the effects of the Confounding Charm, he stumbled up to them and stared around the room like a lost soul. "Neville? Are you okay?" Harry asked.  
Neville somehow looked terrified and elated at the same time, all he said was, "Tell you later." in a small voice and hurried across the room. Harry looked in confusion at Ron, who shrugged. Hermione however was looking at Neville with a knowing expression on her face. Everyone except the holdout Ravenclaws had arrived by that time.  
Finally Michael Corner stepped through the door with Cho, trailing timidly behind them was Marietta Edgecombe. Harry carefully looked around; everyone was looking at Marietta with expressions ranging from distaste to open hostility. "So, the sneak is back," said Seamus loudly, "do we get to give her another set of pimples Harry?" There were roars of support and catcalls from all directions. Marietta made a small noise of fear and backed toward the door.  
Although he didn't really feel like it, Harry stepped forward and interposed himself. "That's enough Seamus," he turned to Marietta cowering behind a wary Cho. "Yes she was a traitor; she sold out every last one of us for her own benefit." Marietta was shrinking at every word; Cho was looking at Harry as though she couldn't believe him. "She nearly got all of us expelled by Umbridge, and instead forced Dumbledore to leave the school when we needed him the most. And I personally do not like her." He looked severely at Marietta for another moment, Cho was now glaring challengingly at him for talking this way about her friend, Harry still didn't understand her protectiveness.  
Finally he looked away at the members of the D.A. all looking at him. "But," he continued, not really sure where the words were coming from, "that doesn't matter now." Everyone looked at him in surprise. "None of it matters now; I am going to forgive all of it. I'll do it because I have to, you all heard the Sorting Hat last year, we stand together or we all fall, so I forgive her for what she did, and I'm asking everyone here to do the same." Slowly he felt the malice from the others fade, they were being moved by him. Most were still glaring, but seemed to have accepted his words.  
Marietta was relaxed now, looking relieved, even smug. Anger flared in Harry, he glared and stalked up to her at an angle so she couldn't hide behind Cho. He advanced until he was staring her in the face. "But I want it known;" he said in a low voice, "that I will never forget what she has done, you have been forgiven, but I will never forget, and I expect that of everyone here as well." Marietta looked away, subdued. Harry turned away at the sound of a derisive snort.  
Michael Corner was glaring at him from where he had stopped, "That's not the way I think I want to be taught." He snapped insolently, looking challengingly at Harry. "What kind of lesson is this?"  
Harry waved back Ron, who was advancing behind Michael with his wand out, most everyone looked angry but Harry did not acknowledge them. He knew he had to deal with this himself, much as he preferred just to let Ron and the others jinx Corner into next week. Something drew his eyes downward; by chance Michael was standing at one end of the dueling markers. Calmly, before he could start to doubt himself, Harry walked to the other end and faced him. "All right," he said, gritting his teeth, "I'll teach you this way." 


	28. Chapter 27: Avarice Duel

Thank you very much Melidaleo for your support and enthusiasm, I thought that was right. It's also good to know Genie FF03 is still reading. Be ready for some bad things to start happening as the Reaper gains momentum!  
  
Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter in this chapter or the last because I forgot the disclaimer there.  
  
Chapter 27: Avarice Duel  
There was a collective gasp in the room, Michael looked confused for a moment, then looked down. His eyes widened and he sputtered, "Now wait just a minute!"  
Harry shook his head, "Now you listen, this has to be settled here and now." He held up a hand to forestall any comment, "If you win, I'll do whatever you want of me to make you feel comfortable." Michael's low spoken protest died on his lips as he considered this.  
"But if I win, you fall in line and do your best to be a member of this team, because that's what we have to be now." Harry finished, he understood now why the markers had appeared, he had known in the back of his mind something like this was going to happen. Maybe it hadn't been chance that Michael had stopped in the dueling ring. "Agreed?"  
Michael Corner looked long and hard at the dueling markers, Cho came forward to speak to him, looking fearfully at Harry, but Michael waved her off, whispering something to her. With that he advanced to the beginning marker and raised his wand in salute. "Agreed."  
Harry moved to his beginning marker and raised his wand, "Hermione, call the duel will you?"  
"No," Michael protested, "someone from Hufflepuff."  
Susan Bones stepped forward, "I'll do it." She said, "Wands at the ready. Begin."  
Harry and Michael each turned and began pacing off, Harry could see Ron, Hermione looking at him with fascination or nervousness respectively. Ginny stood with Dean, radiating confidence, Harry felt good and bad at the same time looking at her. In his mind he was running over all the spells he had taught and the new ones he had learned from Sirius and Remus' book.  
"Turn." Said Susan. Both Harry and Michael turned and set themselves, Harry with his wand pointed straight forward and his other hand raised. Michael held his wand like a fencing sword, its tip pointed at Harry's face.  
"One, two, three."  
"Stupefy!"  
'Reflecto!"  
Harry's Reflection Charm sent Michael's Stunner sizzling back at him. Michael managed to dodge, but his foot slipped out of the ring.  
"One point to Harry!" called out Susan, "Michael stepped out! Three points to win!"  
Michael scrambled to his feet and shouted, "Relashio!' sending a jet of sparks at Harry, who only managed to get his wand up in time to block half of them, the part he missed hit his arm, making him gasp. "One point to Michael!" shouted Susan.  
Harry ducked another Stunner (It hit Dean in the face, dropping him like a rock.) trying to think of something to use, he knew Michael would be watching for anything Harry had taught last year, and he didn't want to cause any serious harm. Suddenly he got an idea, he whirled his wand like he was about to fire a Stunner, but as Michael raised his wand to block Harry dropped to one knee and flicked a banishing spell. Michael's legs were blown out from under him, sending him flat on his face. A cheer went up from Ron and Hermione, Ginny was busy awakening Dean.  
"Two to Harry!" Susan called out, "Duel point!"  
Michael scrambled up and readied himself, Harry now knew it would be doubly hard to hit him, he wasn't even trying to attack, he was just focusing on blocking Harry's next salvo. Harry tried to think of something to do, something distracting. He smiled thinking of a certain redhead and Malfoy with Bogeys all over his face. He sent a Bat Bogey Hex at Michael's face, Michael obviously knew how to deal with them because he did not panic but calmly began blasting them away as they flew at him. That didn't matter to Harry though, it hadn't been his real attack anyway, quickly he muttered another spell.  
Michael finished off the last Bogey and seeing Harry unmoving raised his wand, but he took one step too many forward and fell beautifully over the trip jinx Harry had set. "Harry wins!" yelled Susan. The room erupted in cheers, Seamus, Neville and Katie pounded Harry on the back. While Ron and Hermione hugged each other happily for a moment, then broke apart flushing, Ginny clapped next to a vague looking Dean. Luna just smiled dreamily, like she knew the outcome ahead of time and this just confirmed it.  
When the yelling died down Harry turned to Michael, who was flushed, but didn't look quite as angry as Harry expected. For a moment Michael just stood there, looking at Harry while Cho took his hand. Then he smiled tightly and extended his other hand. "All right," he said, "fair's fair, what do you want us to do?"  
More cheering broke out as Harry shook hands with Michael over the dueling ring. Then they suddenly choked off, Harry looked over Michael's shoulder to see Professor Tofty, leaning on Krum near the door.  
For a long moment nobody moved, Harry wondered how long the teachers had been standing there, and whether or not he and Michael were about to be punished for dueling. After another poignant pause Professor Tofty piped up. "Well, that was interesting boys, but I definitely think you need a different way of solving disputes." Harry heart fell, this didn't sound good. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't do the same things myself when I was your age," continued the wizened Professor, "so I'll just forget it and come straight to the point." Harry's heart settled quietly back in place, there was a definite lessening of tension in the room. "I hear you need a sponsor, well I'm here to volunteer my time and the time of my colleague Professor Krum, we'll supervise any meeting you want."  
Harry really felt sorry for Ron, but it was looking like his only option, he didn't want to offend the old Professor into reporting him to McGonagall. "Okay Professor," he replied, "um, I'll let you know about meeting times."  
"Just tell Viktor here." Said Professor Tofty and stumped out. Krum nodded to Harry following.  
Turning around Harry beheld a glaring Ron and a beaming Hermione, swallowing hard he turned to everyone. "Okay, here's what we need to do,"  
The remainder of the meeting passed uneventfully, Harry simply assigned most of them to recruit from their respective houses. He kept a few later who he wanted to help instruct, Hermione, Ron, Ernie, Susan, Michael and Cho. Neville had declined to teach and wandered off looking dreamier than Luna. Harry made a mental note to ask him later what the problem was.  
Finally the meeting broke up, but Harry went up to Dumbledore's office to report who his sponsor was. Ron glared at him as he left, "I've got a bone to pick with you later." he growled at Harry, Harry swallowed, not anticipating coming back to the common room.  
When he arrived at Dumbledore's office Fawkes was not present but the Headmaster appeared swiftly. "Well Harry have you found a sponsor?" he inquired.  
"Yes sir, Professor Tofy and Professor Krum (that phrase still felt strange to him.) have agreed to supervise."  
For a moment Harry thought he saw concern flit across Dumbledore's face, but the next moment the Headmaster was smiling and he was left wondering if he had imagined it, "That's excellent Harry, you'll be a great help." He shifted his half-moon glasses. "Now I'd like to discuss Occlumency with you and,"  
He broke off as the fireplace exploded in green flames with a shiny red feather in the middle of it. "What's that?" asked Harry, but Dumbledore did not answer, he stood up, looking on in concern.  
Fawkes appeared first, shrilling and piping he alighted on Dumbledore's shoulder seeming very agitated. Seconds later in came Snape, dressed in black robes. He looked wild, "Headmaster!" he shouted, "Something has happened, the Dark Lord turned the Reaper loose on someone else!"  
Dumbledore came forward swiftly, "Who?!" he asked, "How long ago?!"  
"We were just informed by Malfoy, but he's already in the midst of it, we have to move now!"  
"Harry return to your Common Room, we'll speak later!" thundered Dumbledore, Harry knew better than to argue. As he turned away he heard, "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" and Dumbledore and Snape disappeared through the fire. He was left wondering what was to happen now. 


	29. Chapter 28: Mercy

Well this chapter has been a long time in the making, nobody panic when you read it, bad thins happen, but I believe in happy endings, remember that. Thank you for all those new reviews, you're all great!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter world, it belongs to J.K. Rowling.  
  
Chapter 28: Mercy  
Somewhere in the background occasional screams from luckless patients or staff caught in the hallways echoed through St. Mungo's. But in general it was quiet as vampires and Dementors stalked the corridors, frightening the patients and healers behind the locked down doors or violently destroying portraits. The attack had been slightly botched by the Dementors' eagerness. They had launched themselves into the main lobby before the disguised vampires under the charge of Avery had time to secure all the exits. Several staff had gotten away and warned the majority of the hospital of the threat in time for the healers to secure the wards against all entry, only a few had been caught and almost none of the wards had been reached by the vampires in time.  
Yes, reflected the Reaper as he strode through the halls followed by Avery, the Dementors had fouled up, but it hardly mattered. He would have liked to have gotten the entire hospital, his minions were thirsty. But that would have been just a bonus. His true target had not eluded him; luckily one vampire had been particularly bright and had snuck in early to secure a route. Now he would see for himself the reason Voldemort had denied him, what target could possibly be important enough to take away his amusement?  
"Save me a nice one." He ordered one of his minions as she dragged two unconscious staff members past. She nodded in acknowledgement.  
"It's just up on your left sir." Avery said, from behind him, prompting a grin from the Reaper, this Death Eater had been enthralled to work with the legendary Reaper, a refreshing change from Malfoy's arrogance and Nott's revulsion.  
"Thank you Avery," the vampire replied, "come with won't you?"  
"Yes sir." Avery said eagerly.  
The Reaper licked his lips in anticipation as he strode forward and went into the Closed Ward. "Out." He growled at a Dementor who was leaning over a patient in a corner. The Dementor wisely glided out without protest, dropping its victim as it went. The Reaper caught a brief glimpse of a blonde-haired man flashing a painfully bright smile and gabbling to his captor in fear as he shoved photos of himself around. The Reaper grinned in amusement, no wonder the Dementor wasn't objecting, the man was fairly useless to it, he wouldn't even be alive if the Reaper hadn't instructed his minions to stay away from this ward. "Keep smiling, you live through this night." He murmured.  
The Reaper moved along until he came to the last beds in the ward screened by curtains. "Is this them?' he inquired.  
"Yes, sir." Avery replied.  
Raising his scythe, (you could never tell in a loony ward.) the Reaper tore away the curtains. Side by side were two middle-aged people, obviously husband and wife by the matching rings they wore. Both wore hospital gowns and sat upright in bed, propped up on pillows. The Reaper snorted in anger, this was what he had been assigned to? Both patients looked only slightly nervous and apprehensive, as though they were aware something was wrong but couldn't quite identify what it was. They weren't even focused on him, the man was staring over the Reaper's shoulder at the bed beyond him and the woman had her head cocked as though listening for something.  
The Reaper glared, Avery looked apprehensive, "Is something wrong sir?" he asked.  
The Reaper did not move, "Longbottom, right?"  
"Yes sir, Frank and Alice, a pair of very troublesome individuals during the last war. They have a son I believe; name's er, Neville I think, a friend of that Potter boy."  
"I see," rumbled the Reaper, "I thought I recognized them, so I'm just here to finish off a couple of loose ends." Avery gulped at the vampire's tone. "This is not what I expected it to be."  
The Reaper glared at the two figures, his scythe still upraised, he seemed disturbed by something. "Your boss really does have a problem with killing."  
Avery seemed nonplussed, "But the Dark Lord has killed many, he's the most powerful wizard there is, and he's killed some of the best wizards ever known."  
"He's killed so much it's the only thing he knows how to do." The Reaper replied, frustration evident in his voice, "I tried to tell him this with my last target, but he seems very adamant. Now let me instruct you Avery, a killing here would be what?"  
Avery thought for a moment, "Closure? Revenge?"  
"Wrong!" the Reaper snapped, "Look at them, they barely even know we're here! What would be the point in killing them now?! It would be like snuffing out a pet, a mindless animal!" He gazed at his scythe, still upraised, "I tell you right now, killing them is mercy!" he spat out the word like it tasted foul.  
"You're not going to kill them?!" Avery sounded shocked, not really sure what to do.  
The Reaper glared, "No, no I'm not. It's not time for the killing to begin," He bared his fangs, "not yet. There are better ways of hurting people than just killing them."  
Avery began to turn away in preparation for them to leave when the Reaper spoke again. "You said they have a son, a friend of Harry Potter?" Avery nodded, mystified. The Reaper stared for a long moment as if thinking very hard, a resounding series of cracks and shouts reverberated from down in the lobby, heralding the arrival of Aurors and the Order.  
Avery jumped, "Hurry, we must go!"  
Slowly, unhurriedly, an evil grin made its way back onto the Reaper's face, "Killing them is mercy. However, that does not mean they have no value to my endeavors." He laughed, making Avery jump.  
  
The scythe descended, sparkling in the moonlight. 


	30. Chapter 29:Happiness and Sorrow

I must say I was a little shocked to get five reviews in a row from the same person, you're quite perceptive Jedi Buttercup, I hope you like what you've seen.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, it's just a story, I'm not a genius like JKR.  
  
Chapter 29: Happiness and Sorrow  
The first and only thing Harry saw when he got back to the common room was Ron bearing down on him. He braced himself for a furious tongue- lashing, "Look Ron I,"  
But Ron grabbed him by the arm and immediately began pushing him toward the fire, "Never mind that now Harry, come see quick!"  
"What?" Harry just had time to ask, before being forcibly propelled through groups of students, bumping into Seamus and Lavender, tripping over Colin Creevey and finally arriving somewhat the worse for wear at the fireplace where Hermione was sitting poring over one of her Arithmancy books, occasionally glancing up at Neville, who was sitting and staring into the flames. Ginny was stretched out on the rug, puzzling out a Transfiguration assignment.  
Harry's eyes were drawn to Neville, who still looked completely out of it. He just stared into the flames, but didn't really seem to be looking at them. Ron shook his head, "He's been like that ever since I got back, hasn't moved at all, this could be something serious, we'd better get the truth out of him now." He whispered to Harry.  
"Yeah," Harry agreed, "I haven't seen him this preoccupied since he saw the Cruciatus Curse in class two years ago." They moved up to Neville sitting down next to him.  
Neville looked up slowly in bemusement, "Hey Harry, Ron." He said quietly, and resumed looking into the flames.  
Hermione looked up at them and smiled in an amused fashion, but didn't say anything, Ginny didn't even look up, but Harry was sure she was listening. "Erm, Neville are you okay?" asked Ron.  
"Hm? Oh yeah, everything's fine," Neville replied not looking up, "everything's fine."  
"Uh, what happened before you came into the meeting today?" Harry inquired tentatively. Hermione continued smiling, as though she knew a secret; Ginny's quill skipped a beat.  
Neville blushed scarlet, much worse than Ron ever had. "Er, well, I uh, I," he took a deep breath, "I kind of met Luna along the way, and er,"  
There was a long, poignant silence; Ron cocked an eyebrow, "Yes?"  
"Well, we got to talking and um, she said, she said that," Neville looked down and muttered, "she said she likes me and uh, gave me a, a, a, kissonthecheek." He finished in a rush flushing a brilliant scarlet, Ginny's quill poked a hole in the parchment, Hermione smiled knowingly again, Harry sat back and whistled softly, he hadn't seen this coming. Ron just looked nonplussed, "That's it?" he asked.  
Hermione shot up out of her chair, seized him by the collar and pulled him into a corner, already lecturing fiercely while Ron just stared at her in bewilderment. But Neville didn't seem to have heard, he just stared into the fire with a peculiar little smile on his face.  
Harry got up; "Erm, that's great Neville, Neville?" he patted him on the shoulder for a moment, gave up and said good night. Neville waved his hand vaguely, Ginny looked up and smiled, "Good night Harry."  
"I don't think it will be," Harry said quietly, "something's going on out there. Someone's in trouble."  
She looked after him in confusion as he headed for the dormitory, skirting Ron and Hermione, not wanting to be put in the middle. He'd tell them later. He went up into the room; Dean was sitting on his bed reading a soccer magazine, "Hey Harry," he said grinning, "great duel, this new D.A. is really going to be something."  
"Yeah," said Harry vaguely, tempted to remind him he'd spent a good portion of the duel stunned on the floor. Again he wondered where this sudden unkind feeling towards Dean had come from. Putting everything firmly out of his mind he went to sleep.  
Harry woke up the next morning to the sound of Neville and Ron bantering with Seamus as they got ready for breakfast. "Morning Harry!" beamed Neville pulling on his robes and disappearing out the door whistling.  
"Wonder if he's got a date?" Seamus said mischievously, "Dean already left with his girl."  
"Sod off!" both Harry and Ron said with equal vehemence.  
Seamus held up his hands, "Easy lads, I was only joking, sheesh what's the problem anyway?" he sauntered out.  
Harry was putting on his robes when Ron spoke from behind him, "What is the problem?"  
"Huh?" Harry asked, looking up.  
Ron was looking at him questioningly, "You were angry about that too. What's the problem?"  
Harry cursed his unchecked comment, but it was Ron, hopefully he could bluff him, "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, then changed tack quickly, "wonder if Katie is going to hold tryouts soon. Has she told you anything?"  
"No she didn't say anything to me, not yet," Ron replied, still looking at him curiously, "let's ask her today."  
Not sure whether he had effectively dislodged Ron or not Harry followed him down the stairs. Hermione was waiting for them in the common room, "Neville just left," she told them, "he looked pretty pleased."  
"Funny that one little kiss from Luna could do that to him." mused Ron as they headed for the portrait hole.  
Hermione rolled her eyes as she climbed out before him, "Come on, how would you be if a girl you liked gave you a kiss?"  
Ron paused halfway through the hole looking at her, "It would be the best thing in the world." He said quietly, Hermione stopped moving, looking back at him for a long moment. Harry didn't know what to say, they weren't moving, but he didn't want to be the one who broke the moment. Fortunately for him the Fat Lady grew tired of standing open and cleared her throat auspiciously. Ron jumped, Hermione blinked and turned away, hurrying down the hall. "Let's go you two." she said briskly. Ron said nothing as he followed.  
They got down into the Great Hall and began a lively breakfast; Harry calmly ate, thinking about Transfiguration and Charms classes. He barely noticed when the post owls came in until Hermione's Daily Prophet landed in his bacon, front page down. He glanced at it before Hermione took it. A large article covered the majority of a page, telling the story of four giants, apparently acting in Voldemort's name, who had massacred an Alpine village earlier in the week before being killed by Aurors. Harry shook his head, it looked like Dumbledore was right, the atrocities were stepping up.  
Hermione took the paper from his plate and turned it over; Harry thought nothing of it until he heard her draw in a sharp breath. Looking up he saw her staring at the front page, her face white as chalk. "What?!" asked Ron in alarm, "What is it?"  
Wordlessly she handed them the paper, they looked at the front page article. Harry skimmed over it, his food turning to ashes in his mouth. St. Mungo's attacked, vampires and Dementors led by Death Eaters and an unknown master vampire, several fatalities, Closed Ward breached, two undisclosed patients from Closed Ward in critical condition, man and wife, it all piled up into a terrible weight in his chest.  
He looked up into Hermione's tear-brimmed eyes, his worst fears confirmed. Ron stopped reading and stuttered; "You don't think, I mean it's not, it's not them is it?" he seemed bewildered. Harry didn't know what to say, his eyes wandered over the laughing students at the tables, pausing on Ginny's horrified face staring at another paper, finally coming to rest on Dumbledore, staring grimly off into space over the heads of the chattering masses. He met Harry's stare, and that tired old man shone through the powerful exterior, the man who had cried for Harry's own lost parent, Sirius.  
  
Harry shifted to look at Neville's space, it was empty.  
  
Somewhere far away, a monster held a newspaper in his hand, and laughed. Vampire and Dark Lord laughed that day. 


	31. Chapter 30: The Unexpected

Thanks for the reviews Kurbani, (was that what you were expecting) and Melindaleo, Jedi Buttercup, don't stop reviewing, you're uncanny, this should be interesting.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JKR's not mine.  
  
Chapter 30: The Unexpected  
The next week was one of the longest in Harry's life to date, Neville had not been seen since the day the article had appeared in the Daily Prophet, it did not name his parents, and only Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny knew out of all the students what the real reason for his absence was. People speculated in a unconcerned way, not knowing the seriousness of the situation, Harry just shrugged nonchalantly when asked to speculate, like he too felt it to be no big deal that Neville had disappeared.  
Harry had not spoken to Dumbledore since that night; he didn't want to be a bother in this stressful time. Professor McGonagall would say nothing beyond "Mr. Longbottom is visiting family." Harry felt terrible, knowing how much Neville must be suffering. Ginny and Hermione could be seen sitting together sadly discussing the events quietly in corners, or in the common room by the fire. Ron was a stoic, neither discussing it nor giving any indication he thought about it at all, but there were times in the dormitory where Harry caught him staring down at Neville's empty bed with a look of trepidation.  
Luna wandered about like a spirit; although she usually was dreamy she now looked as though her mind no longer inhabited the earth. Hermione and Ginny took her under their wings, trying to get some kind of response from her, but she was just vague and inert, hardly present in the strained conversations the girls managed to strike up. Harry hoped Neville's reappearance would help her, but the week passed without so much as a whisper of his whereabouts.  
Meanwhile, N.E.W.T. level classes were every bit as hard as Harry expected them to be, McGonagall was working them harder than Harry had even believed possible and Flitwick was now teaching them one complex charm every class period. Even Hagrid was showing them a lot of different creatures, but only a few of them could really be classified as monsters. Malfoy took every opportunity to speak to Hagrid in that same slow voice Umbridge had used. His efforts sent Pansy Parkinson into paroxysms of cruel laughter, but she shut up when Hagrid assigned Malfoy a detention. He had to feed the thestrals. Harry, Ron and Hermione spent and enjoyable hour after dinner one evening watching from under the invisibility cloak as Malfoy tried not to shiver, surrounded by invisible thestrals on all sides, pushing forward to get some meat. All in all the sixth year was going to be one of work.  
Katie Bell thankfully had not been turned into a tyrant by her appointment to Quidditch Captain. As the only remaining three members, (Kirke and Sloper had tossed in the towel after the Finals.) she, Harry and Ron were to build a new team. Katie immediately endorsed Ginny for Chaser when Harry and Ron told her of Ginny's desire to change positions. "She'll be great!" Katie cried, her voice carrying out onto the Quidditch pitch from the locker rooms. "She asked last year for me to teach her some strategies! We just need a third Chaser and some Beaters! Do you guys know of anyone we should encourage to try out?"  
Harry and Ron looked at each other; Ron was obviously not going to say anything. Harry didn't really feel like speaking up either, but the image of Dean flying in pursuit of the Quaffle kept rising up in his mind. He was about to say something when Katie overrode him. "Oh that's all right, we'll find some, tryouts next week on Wednesday afternoon ok? See you guys!" she left.  
Harry and Ron looked at each other for a long moment, "Maybe we should have," Harry began tentatively.  
But Ron was less inclined to be pliable, "No way, I'd go crazy if that, if he were on the team." He looked nervous, "Hope he doesn't find out about the tryouts."  
Harry said nothing as they left the tent and headed for the front doors, but he felt he really had no reason to resent Dean, but he just couldn't make it go away, he was starting to have a sneaky suspicion that he was the one at fault, but he always stopped himself before he reached any kind of conclusion, he didn't want to think about it.  
They waved to Hagrid, hauling what looked like a dragon haunch down to the edge of the forest by his cabin. "Feeding time for Grawp do you think?" asked Ron.  
Harry shrugged, "Either that or it's some new terror he's got to show us."  
Ron shivered, "I'd hate to see what eats dragon meat."  
"Maybe we should ask Hermione," mused Harry, as they opened the doors and hurried inside. Hermione and Ginny were both waiting for them; Luna stood behind them, but didn't acknowledge their presence.  
"Speak of the devil." Ron said, "Hermione what kind of creature eats dragons?"  
Hermione opened her mouth, but Ginny interrupted, "Well, am I on the team?!" she asked excitedly. Harry nodded, and she let out an earsplitting victory whoop. "That's great! Did you guys mention Dean to her like you told him you would?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.  
The atmosphere of the front hall suddenly resembled an impending thunderstorm. Harry and Ron looked anywhere but at Ginny who was glaring, waiting for an answer. Hermione stood by, a disapproving look on her face, her eyes trained on Ron. Luna simply stood, looking out the high window above them.  
Fortunately there was a timely intervention, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle all appeared coming up the stairs and at the same time the doors behind Harry opened. He turned to see Neville standing in the open portal, his robes whipping in the slight wind. Harry just stood there dumbfounded for a moment and then was nearly knocked off his feet as Luna hurtled forward and threw her arms around Neville's neck, neither said anything but just stood there holding each other. Neville looked haunted, but basically all right, he had the look of someone who has just come in from a storm and is still trying to figure out if he's recovered.  
Nobody moved until Malfoy laughed, and sneered, "Pathetic, how are the parents Longbottom, crazy heads still attached to their shoulders?"  
Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione all pulled their wands and whirled as Malfoy and his cronies pulled theirs. But a smooth voice interjected, freezing the scene. "That's enough!"  
Snape stepped out from the shadows of another hallway and stared around, his eyes glittering. Harry's heart sunk even as his anger rose, he knew what was coming next. "Put up those wands immediately!" hissed Snape, glaring directly at Harry. Harry felt the anger surge again, but he saw no option but to comply. "Five points from Gryffindor for each of you!" he snarled.  
Harry was bristling at the sneer Malfoy was giving him when Snape unexpectedly turned. "That goes for you three as well!" Malfoy's smirk disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion rivaled only by the expressions on Crabbe and Goyle's faces. "And you will serve a detention Mr. Malfoy," Snape continued, "for your out of line comment requires that of me. Follow me to my office!" He turned and was gone in a whirl of black cloth. Malfoy followed, looking dazed, Crabbe and Goyle stood undecided for a moment, then slouched off.  
The hall was absolutely silent. "Am I crazy or did Snape just punish Malfoy?!" asked Ron in an awed voice.  
Hermione just shook her head, "That was certainly a surprise."  
Harry turned to see Neville and Luna still standing as he had left them, speaking quietly in hushed voices. His world had just flipped and landed him on his head, it had to be a fluke there was no way that could happen again.  
He was about to go speak to Neville, when Ginny said, "Neither of you answered my question." She was still standing there waiting expectantly, like nothing had happened.  
Harry and Ron looked at each other, "Erm, well, no we didn't," Ron said quickly, "gotta get on homework." He hurried up the stairs; Hermione rolled her eyes and went after him. Harry was left facing Ginny; she looked angry, but even more perplexing she looked slightly hurt. "You didn't? What is this Harry?" she shook her head, "I wouldn't have expected this from you." she spun on her heel and disappeared, leaving Harry staring after her wondering what had just happened.  
From behind him he heard Neville's voice deadpan and serious, "Harry, the D.A., teach me to kill a vampire." 


	32. Chapter 31: Quidditch Tryouts

There are so many new reviewers I can't possibly talk about them all; it's great to see my story being appreciated by so many people. The updates might be a little sporadic for a while, it's finals week and Christmas Break after that, but don't give up on me, I have no intention of abandoning this story and disappointing all these amazing reviewers.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and just so you know, the inspiration for the Reaper comes from another great genius by the name of Joss Whedon.  
  
Chapter 31: Quidditch Tryouts  
Harry spent a great deal of time the next week trying to puzzle out Ginny's problem with him. He really didn't think it was that big of a deal. Hermione was no help, just rolling her eyes and burying her nose in a book when he asked for her opinion. He knew better than to ask Ron, Harry knew he'd probably take it the wrong way and use Harry to bleed off some of that frustration Dean and Krum had been brewing in him.  
Ginny avoided him for a while, and was very cool in the times she had to speak to him. Finally Harry just cornered her, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell her about Dean, okay? It's just," she was looking at him expectantly, "it's just Ron, you know how he gets."  
She looked at him suspiciously, "That was it?"  
"Yeah." Harry replied, trying to put as much conviction into his voice as he could. He knew it wasn't. But it seemed the best way to get back on her good side.  
She looked at him for a long moment, then grudgingly seemed to accept his words. "All right Harry, just promise me you won't interfere at the tryouts tomorrow okay?"  
"Erm, sure." Harry replied, after that conversation she warmed up again and the tension bled away. Harry could almost forget that he had lied to her and to himself; he just didn't know how to deal with these new thoughts.  
For days Harry had seen Hagrid taking dragon meat down behind his cabin from the school kitchens. He was on the verge of asking what it was for when he found out in the next Care of Magical Creatures class.  
Surprisingly Parvati and Lavender had both come back to the class; Hermione told Harry they needed it to become veterinarians for magical creatures. Harry couldn't see how anything else would have gotten them to return. They trooped down to Hagrid's cabin, ignoring the jeers from the Slytherins. However Malfoy had been very subdued since his spat of detentions, especially after the one from Snape, he did not take part in the usual catcalls.  
Hagrid waved them all around to the back of his cabin with a toothy grin; the teeth he had lost to Grawp had apparently been replaced. "Come on all of yeh!" he boomed, "I got an extra special one fer yeh today!"  
"I can hardly wait." Whispered Ron, looking apprehensive, Hermione just looked curious; Harry could almost see her mind running through a list of creatures that ate dragon meat and trying to guess which one Hagrid had.  
Behind the cabin in the paddock was a huge creature, Harry thought it was a hippogriff at first, but it was too big, at least twice the size of Buckbeak, tethered back at Grimmalud place. It did have an eagle's head and talons with pure white plumage, but the back was not a horse's, but a golden lion's.  
"A gryphon!" exclaimed Hermione.  
"Ruddy good!" said Hagrid, "before I even asked, ten points ter Gryffindor!"  
The class gathered close to the paddock but no one would go near the fence, the gryphon obviously wasn't tethered. It was staring over the heads of the class with aloofness, as though it could not deign to notice the gawking students.  
"Now gryphons are a lot like hippogriffs," Hagrid said, approaching the paddock slowly with both his arms in plain view. "But they're a lot fiercer and prouder, this breed's usually found in Romania, Sweden or China, in mountains or forests. Can anyone tell me why?"  
Surprisingly Parvati raised her hand, "Because they live near their prey, dragons."  
"Exactly," Hagrid said happily, beaming at her, "Another ten points!" Parvati looked pleased for the first time Harry could remember since she had seen the unicorn foals.  
"They like ter attack smaller breeds o' dragon in packs." Hagrid went on, "Now this one's pretty calm because I been feedin' him pretty well, but yeh've got ter prove to them yeh're strong before they'll even consider lookin' at yeh." The gryphon was now looking down at Hagrid calmly; it even clacked its beak in anticipation of food.  
"It respects you Hagrid," Hermione observed, "what did you do?"  
"Wrestled 'im." Hagrid said nonchalantly, "now I thought I'd keep 'im around for the year and see if any of yeh can gain his respect by the end, there'll be bonus points given if yeh do." This statement was greeted by an awed silence.  
"I'm not wrestling that thing!" Ron said fervently as they made their way back up to the castle after classes, "It's a mercy it didn't kill Hagrid so what kind of chance do we have?"  
"I've read there are a lot of other ways to do it," Hermione replied, looking thoughtful, "and the gryphon doesn't have to see it either, I'm told they read your aura and then decide whether you are worth respecting."  
"Hm," Ron sounded doubtful, "what would you have to do I wonder?"  
They made their way up to the common room and met Katie Bell coming out; "Hurry along boys," she said, "we don't want to be late for our own tryouts do we?"  
"Right!" Harry said as he and Ron dashed in to get their brooms, "she's a lot better about it than Angelina." He remarked to Ron.  
"Yeah," Ron said, "I guess the captaincy isn't an automatic ticket to becoming a bloody tyrant." They hurried up the stairs and grabbed their brooms, dashing down to the quidditch pitch past a raging Filch, ("No laughing in the halls!") and taking flight to meet Katie where she was floating up above the pitch watching the small, broom-bearing group below.  
"Well your sis is down there with them Ron," she said as they approached, "she's a definite pick, but we have to have her try out anyway."  
"Who else showed?" asked Ron, peering down.  
"Ginny of course," Katie consulted a list, "both Creevey brothers, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and a few others who I don't know personally. Pretty thin this year, let's hope we have some gems."  
"Dean's good," Harry said in the spirit of fairness, though his throat seemed to catch as it came out. "as a flier anyway."  
Katie folded up her parchment decisively, "All right, let's get this show on the road, Chasers first, Ron get into position please." Ron flew off toward the goal posts, doing a few rolls and practice grabs.  
"Just help me spot the good ones," Katie said to Harry, as they flew downward, "pace alongside or watch from up above if you like."  
They landed in front of the potential Chasers, all looked supremely nervous except for Ginny, she stood in front smiling. Harry grinned at her and received a nod in return. "All right, Weasley, Nells, you're first up!" Katie called out, Ginny and a petrified third year rose into the sky.  
After the first few it was plain to see that Ginny was the best out there, she had gotten much better at flying and proved adept at feints and passes, several of her shots got past Ron. The only other who came close was Colin Creevey, who had the most erratic flying style Harry had ever seen, but it had the unexpected benefit of making him thoroughly unpredictable and almost impossible to mark.  
When the Beaters came up only Seamus, Dean and a large fifth year boy who Harry didn't know were trying out. Seamus and Dean had apparently practiced together at some point because they kept the Bludgers well under control and had a knack for playing them off of each other, not as accurate as Fred and George had been, but their enthusiasm was obvious. The poor fifth-year shattered his bat and took a piece of it to the face, he had to be scraped off the field by two other candidates and taken to Madame Pomphrey.  
"Well, I think that's good enough for me," Katie said, watching them leave, "but what do you guys think? I'm looking at Colin, Dean and Seamus."  
"My thoughts exactly." Harry said, he still felt a problem with Dean, but the only other option was quite unappealing.  
"Erm, yeah, they'll be fine." Ron said, after a little mulishness.  
"Good, we'll go over practice schedules tomorrow. Let's keep that Cup this year!"  
They all cheered and adjourned inside for dinner, the next day the new Quidditch team was officially posted. 


	33. Chapter 32: Faith and Reason

Here's another chapter, I must say thank you to Dark Fusion for his review and for putting me on his favorites list. And I must say Elessar I like your penname "Elfstone" very good. A fellow Lord of the Rings fanatic?  
  
Disclaimer: There is no way I own the Potterverse.  
  
Chapter 32: Faith and Reason  
The first D.A. meeting was held a few days later, after everyone had a little time to recruit. It astounded Harry by it sheer size, the hall in front of the Room of Requirement was a mass of chattering students, fourth year and higher, stretching off in both directions. Ginny had convinced Harry to extend the age limit. Now he stood, surrounded by the original members and his two sponsors, staring open-mouthed at the mob that had turned up to learn from him, this was definitely beyond him.  
"Holy sodding cow mate!" Ron exclaimed, pushing his way through to his side, "This is impossible, how on earth are we ever going to teach this many?"  
"We're going to need a much bigger room." Hermione stated, still staring at the masses soberly. There were large amount of Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws. Harry couldn't be sure but he thought he caught an occasional glimpse of a few Slytherins, none he knew of course, and they were hunched so far in the back he had no clear looks.  
'I've got to talk to Dumbledore!' Harry kept thinking to himself, pacing nervously. Quite suddenly, the door to the Room of Requirement appeared and Dumbledore poked his head out.  
"Ah Harry," he said, his eyes twinkling at the awestruck looks, "you needed to see me I take it, please come in, the acoustics are quite good for conversation."  
Dumbfounded, Harry stepped through the door. Inside was a well appointed sitting room with a comfortably warm fire and two large armchairs. Harry made use of the one Dumbledore was not occupying. "Now I suppose you are wondering what to do with the unusual amount of students outside." Dumbledore stated, smiling.  
"Er, yes sir," Harry stammered, still a bit overwhelmed, "there's no possible way I can teach so many. It's literally an army now, it's living up to its name more than I can handle!"  
"First of all Harry," Dumbledore replied calmly, "I think you are underestimating your abilities for leadership. You have it in you to be someone others can follow to their benefit."  
Harry really didn't know what to say to that, this person Dumbledore was talking about just didn't seem to fit the name Harry Potter. He'd never thought of himself as a leader, he'd always pretty much been the one in charge when he'd encountered an emergency, but that was just him and a small group. Trying to fit his mind around the image of him leading that small army outside made his head hurt.  
"Second of all," Dumbledore continued, "you need to learn another aspect of a leader, and that is to have faith in your subordinates. You have an excellent core group out there, whom you have trained personally, have faith that they can teach as well and your load will lessen."  
That was certainly true as it went; with the conclusion of the duel the entire original D.A. had fallen in behind him and now stood ready to help him out like the team he had told them they had to be. Now, seeing their daunting task Harry needed every last one of them. Hearing this from Dumbledore just put things more firmly into place.  
"Lastly Harry, you have your sponsors, and I believe now is the time to tell you that they can handle much of the training while your group is saved for other things."  
Harry started, "What other things sir?  
"Later Harry, when the club is functioning smoothly, first I want you to concentrate on organizing it and making it work. We will speak on this again." Dumbledore got up, "Now if you will excuse me I was in the middle of my bath when I found myself suddenly in here, it is a small mercy you did not have everyone inside. Good luck Harry!" and he disappeared.  
Harry slowly made his way back out into the hall, the door disappearing behind him. He looked around at all the original members of the D.A. staring at him, not saying anything he began walking up and down to reappear the door, all the while thinking he needed a place to train this huge crowd of people. The door reappeared swiftly and swung open to reveal an expansive hall with the old bookshelves, practice dueling areas, partitions for separate classes, everything he needed. Turning he used Dumbledore's tried and true method of purple firecrackers from his wand to get everyone's attention.  
"All right everyone move through into the practice area! This will be our meeting place once a week at this time! Be here if you want to learn, each one of my people here will be training a group of you, you are allowed to pick whichever one you want to learn from, but I want the groups as equal as they can be! Anyone who causes a problem will be asked to leave! Any questions?!" surprisingly no one raised their hand, they all just stared at him expectantly, it was quite unnerving.  
Harry turned and nodded to Professor Tofty and Krum, then followed them through the door. The procession would have been endless, but the door increased in size handily whenever Harry anyone had a problem getting through. He sent each member of the D.A. to a different partitioned room, he'd decided on pairs of teachers, Ron and Hermione stood closest to him. Everyone else had paired up the way they wanted to.  
As the students came through, each migrated alone or in small groups to a pair of teachers. There was some disagreement, but nothing serious, finally everyone settled down in their groups. Harry decided to teach the disarming spell first, the partitions kept the groups separate and soon the room was buzzing with spells, shouts of success or failure, and instructions. There was little for him to do but wander among the groups and consult with the instructors about what was going on.  
Every one of the pupils seemed happy at the end of the hour as they trooped out, but Harry felt dissatisfied. This was not what he wanted to do, when he had just been training the D.A. originals it was more personal, more fulfilling than this. He just hoped that this would work well and then he could find out about those "other things" Dumbledore had spoken of.  
"Well that went very well, I think." Hermione said happily, Ron just looked marginally less enthusiastic, but still pleased. "I think teaching will agree with me!"  
"Good for you Hermione," Harry said, looking off after Ginny and Dean, who were chatting amicably about their group of pupils. "let's just hope it works out."  
She followed his gaze and frowned as though she saw something wrong with it, but didn't comment. "I know it must be different Harry, but you're doing something very important here. Just think of all these students knowing how to defend themselves properly, they'll owe all of it to you!"  
"Yeah," Harry said quietly, still thinking longingly of the old D.A. room.  
"Herm-own-ninny!" Krum called from somewhere close by, Hermione smiled and hurried over to Krum, who had just seen old Professor Tofty off. They both fell into conversation, apparently about the possibility of him helping her research new spells for the club. Harry shook his head; he wished she'd cleared that with him. It mad him feel less in control at a time where he needed to know things were going smoothly.  
Ron was sneering openly, when he turned back to him. "Did she tell you about that?" he asked Harry. Harry shook his head, Ron just snorted, "Let's go."  
They headed out of the mainstream of students and headed for Gryffindor tower, Neville brought them up short.  
"Harry!" he called, running up the stairs after them, having apparently just said good night to Luna. Ron made an annoyed sound and kept going, probably to go off and brood.  
Harry stopped and waited for him, "What is it Neville?"  
Neville again looked serious, "I just wanted to know if you really are going to teach," he paused uncertainly, "what I asked about."  
Harry thought for a long moment, staring at Neville's grim face, he didn't like it when Neville got this way. He'd had little doses of it ever since Neville had gotten back, there were times every now and again where Neville would become serious and cold. Harry knew he was thinking about the Reaper and Voldemort, and he really couldn't blame Neville for wanting to know how to kill a vampire. He just wasn't sure he liked what that entailed for Neville.  
However he couldn't say no, not after what Neville had been through. "All right Neville, I'll see about some spells okay?"  
Neville nodded and continued up the stairs, leaving Harry standing in the darkening stairwell, wondering if he could kill the Reaper, as Neville had apparently decided to do. 


	34. Chapter 33: Condemned

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter related.  
  
Chapter 33: Condemned  
The D.A. progressed rapidly, Harry quickly saw marked improvement in many of the older members, and yet he never could shake the feeling of dissatisfaction, he didn't like being a manager rather than a teacher. True to his word he asked Hermione to look up some spells for use against vampires.  
"Are you sure this is a good idea Harry?" she asked, looking at him seriously, "I mean, I know why you're asking this, I know what he wants to do. The question is should we be helping him?"  
"What are you talking about?" asked Ron incredulously, "why shouldn't we help Neville? I'm not saying he ever would, but if he managed to take down that evil git of a vampire then who's not better off?"  
"Darius." Hermione said quietly.  
"Oh come off it Hermione," Ron replied, exasperated, "you're not still on about that are you?"  
Hermione bristled, "Well why not? He was a good man as far as I can tell, what right have we got to help take his life? He's Hagrid's friend Ron!"  
"He's not here," Ron said coldly, "and I for one don't see the point in letting the Reaper get away with things like that just because there's a slight chance Darius Raider can come back. Are you forgetting he asked Hagrid to snuff him if he ever lost control again?!"  
Hermione looked at him stonily, "You can't condemn Darius to death for what the Reaper has done. You're not going to use what he said as an excuse to justify murder."  
They were in the Great Hall at breakfast; Neville was eating with Seamus and Dean a next to them. Luna had just come by and Neville was smiling and blushing as Seamus and Dean ribbed him terribly. Ginny was sitting across from them reading another Quibbler; Luna must have gotten her hooked.  
Harry was glad when the tension between his friends was broken by the arrival of the post owls; Hedwig dropped a letter for Harry from Remus and the Weasleys still at Grimmauld Place. Harry was reading it and smiling when he heard a raucous cawing.  
He looked up sharply as a soot black raven flapped ponderously downward among the owls and landed in front of Neville. A grey envelope was clasped in its beak, it dropped it in front of Neville and took off, drawing a lot of attention with its clamor as it flapped out of sight.  
Their quarrel momentarily forgotten, Hermione turned fearfully to Ron. "Don't wizarding morgues use ravens for delivery notices?"  
Ron nodded dumbly; they all looked on in horror as Neville opened the envelope with shaking hands. However instead of a letter telling him his parents had died he unearthed something both better and worse.  
Shaking out the envelope Neville held out his hand, two matching gold wedding rings fell into it. They shone brightly, but in places dark smudges of blood could still be seen on them. Written in blood on plain parchment underneath were two words "HA HA."  
With a lot of people staring at him Neville slowly got up and began walking out of the Great Hall. None of them said anything, although Harry could see some of the Slytherins', Draco and Pansy among them, eyes shining, they didn't dare do anything while the teachers were here. Luna hurried after him as he disappeared. Professor Dumbledore whispered to Professor Sprout and she hurriedly rose and followed the two students.  
Ron turned to Hermione glaring, "You tell me now that no one deserves to be punished for that."  
They were at odds for the rest of the day and still hadn't reconciled when Harry went to bed that night. Harry hated being caught in the middle, but had to admit they both had valid points. Ron was right in that they couldn't let the Reaper get away with atrocities just in case they found a way to bring Darius back. But Hermione's comment about murder stuck in his head. Maybe because he knew his life was going to contain murder, either as victim or executioner he still wasn't sure. Ginny's faith in him, while heartening, was still no guarantee that he would win in the end. At the end of the day Voldemort was a powerful Dark Lord and Harry was just a sixteen year old student with the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders.  
And if Harry had problems with murdering Voldemort, who was he to say it was okay to murder Darius Raider? He tried to dismiss the anger he felt, but that incident in the Great Hall had been the work of a monster. He hated the fact that the Reaper had done things like hurt the Weasleys and Neville. But what was even more infuriating was that Dumbledore had said Harry and his closest friends would be the Reaper's target, why then was the vampire completely ignoring them and attacking others like Percy and Neville's parents? It angered Harry no end to see it happening and not being able to stop it. The obvious malicious joy with which the Reaper had done it was also infuriating.  
Neville did not mention the incident and Harry certainly wasn't going to bring it up. Ron and Hermione sniped at each other for a good portion of the next day, although more often than not the argument really didn't have anything to do with the previous disagreement. The particularly long row was ended by none other than Draco Malfoy, who used the M word in reference to Hermione, obliging Ron to leap to her defense. He overdid it a little and earned himself a detention from Snape, ("Great record for prefect detentions this year," muttered Hermione, "I'll be getting one next.") It seems his onetime punishment of Malfoy had been short lived, although he hadn't seen Malfoy do anything, while Ron had been in the middle of curse bestowing the common cold on the recipient when Snape had arrived. As it was Draco sneezed for three days afterward and Ron and Hermione agreed to disagree about Darius.  
"Where on earth did you find that curse Ron?" Hermione asked as they trooped down to Hagrid's cabin, Malfoy's explosive sneezes echoing around them.  
Ron swelled with pride at her smile, but deflated a bit when he said, "Ginny used it on Fred once when he stole all her dresses and gave them to the ghoul in the attic as tissues."  
Harry laughed, "Serves him right."  
They had expected Hagrid to be standing out back at the paddock with the gryphon, so far it hadn't even glanced at anyone but him, however today he was standing with Krum out in front of his cabin. Standing next to them was a large iron cage, its interior shadowed, chains rattled in its depths.  
"Gather round, gather round," boomed Hagrid, his face very serious for once, "we got a combined lesson for yeh today." Everyone eyed the cage warily; a large black cloth decorated with some sprigs of garlic was covering the interior, the chains rattled ominously.  
"Now normally these here are designated "Dark creatures" but ole Professor Tofty didn't feel up ter showin' yeh one himself so me'n Professor Krum here will be usin' this time to teach yeh about it. Special lesson handed down directly from Dumbledore, he feels yeh should know this."  
"What's in there?" asked Dean.  
"Don't yeh worry, he's under a confounding charm and well confined, he can't hurt yeh." Hagrid said, "Now then, let's open it up an' I'll let yeh see 'im." He reached up and pulled away the cloth.  
Inside the shadowy depths was a man, at least Harry assumed it was a man, he had trouble focusing on him as he wore dark clothing and seemed to fade in and out of the shadows like a mirage. He looked normal, if a bit pale, but Harry thought he could see a glint of yellow in the eyes, like a wildcat's eyes.  
"Hagrid," Hermione said nervously, "Um, is that,"  
"A vampire yeah." Hagrid replied, Parvati and Lavender squealed and both jumped back into Seamus, leaving him looking both pleased and pained as they both hurled their weight on him. "But don' worry, he's under a powerful Confounding Charm, can't even see yeh unless yeh're close to the cage, don't worry he's harmless."  
Now that he looked Harry could see the very tips of the fangs protruding from the vampire's mouth, he shuddered remembering the glint of the fangs as the vampires ran at him that evening in front of the Burrow. Involuntarily he found himself at the front of the group as Hagrid and Krum took turns explaining about the physical and magical capabilities of vampires and what uses they were put too. "Vampire blood makes a very strong healin' potion, but it's highly painful and sometimes ineffective, doesn't mix very well with other ingredients."  
He was the closest one to the cage; Neville too, had edged forward despite his obvious fear and revulsion and was looking at the vampire keenly. It obviously wasn't in complete control of its limbs, it moved slowly, sluggishly and as Hagrid said, it seemed unable to focus on the students outside the cage. "Harry," Hermione said nervously, but she too was close, not wanting to miss the chance to see a live vampire up close.  
"Good man Harry!" Hagrid said heartily, "don't be nervous. Show 'em what yeh're made of!"  
The vampire was quietly snarling to itself or muttering incoherently, as Harry looked on though it suddenly looked up, so fast the chains rattled loudly, making everyone jump. Parvati and Lavender were nearly climbing up an increasingly battered-looking Seamus. Harry edged back, but the vampire had obviously spotted him. It's eyes blearily focused on him, its lip curled back, revealing the needle-like fangs. Harry froze, not knowing how to react. Quite suddenly, the vampire spoke.  
"You," it mumbled cocking its head, "you, dark wants," it hissed quietly for a moment in seeming frustration, "dark wants, scythe, you, scythe wants you." For a moment its eyes flared yellow and it actually raised its arm to grasp the bars, "Scythe! Here, scythe, is, here," but seconds later as Harry edged back, the sharpness in the eyes faded and the vampire subsided back into a stupor.  
Harry turned away quietly, confronted with a panorama of suspicious and fearful faces. "What did it say?" whispered Dean. Harry shrugged, struggling to keep his face impassive, the last thing he needed now was more questions.  
"Pay no mind ter that!" Hagrid's voice boomed as he shooed Harry, Hermione and Neville back into the main group, "It's just babblin' has no idea where it is. Well, lets go see how me old pal the gryphon is doin'."  
As he looked pushed them away, Harry looked back, but all he could see was Krum, replacing the cover on the cage, his face an impenetrable mask. The last thing he saw from under the cover was the gleam of predatory eyes that somehow seemed to be following him. 


	35. Chapter 34: War

Thanks for the new reviews, it's great to see new names enjoying my work.  
  
Dsiclaimer: I don't own anything that has anything to do with Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 34: War  
The Reaper sat languidly in the black chair, or rather flopped across it like a reclining cat. He grinned at the two vampires standing near the door, "Nice digs eh?" the minions smiled back maliciously, "maybe we should consider relocating." The vampires cackled as the Death Eaters began entering the room, the Reaper caught several double takes when they saw where he was sitting.  
He hadn't been surprised the Dark Lord wanted to talk to him, although he had been pleased with the way the Reaper had handled the Longbottom affair, the Reaper knew if anyone was hard to please it was Voldemort. He grinned in anticipation, such risks made life very much worth living, just to see what might come of it.  
Voldemort came in to find the vampire sprawled in his chair amid the apprehensive whispers of his servants, his red eyes narrowed to slits.  
"Ah great, the boss man's here," the Reaper kicked up his feet and slid out of the chair, "now this meeting can really get underway!"  
Voldemort moved silently to his chair, passing the Reaper as the vampire stepped down. However the second the Reaper was past him the Dark Lord turned and nodded swiftly to Malfoy. Malfoy pulled his wand and aimed it at the vampire's unprotected back. "Crucio!"  
The Reaper collapsed to his knees, but did not cry out; gritting his teeth under the effects of the curse he snarled and dug his fingers into the floor. Lucius left his wnad pointed until the Dark Lord held up his hand. The Reaper was up in a flash, his scythe appearing, his two minions snarled and produced blades as the Death Eaters pulled wands.  
"If you know what is good for you you will go no further!" Voldemort hissed, "That was for your disloyalty and disrespect. I am your master and you will treat me as such! Is that clear?"  
The Reaper glared malevolently at Voldemort, but he put away the scythe and bowed, "Understood master."  
The Dark Lord smiled, "Good, I have a list of targets for you, but I think I will give you a little more freedom as to when and how you wish to remove them. I leave you to your own endeavors, should I have need of you I will call." He rose and swept out, followed by his Death Eaters. The Reaper watched impassively as the last ones filed out, last of all was a smirking Lucius Malfoy who turned to grin at the vampire before exiting.  
The second he was gone the Reaper's face turned into something akin to a vengeful destroyer. Glaring he beckoned his minions to him, they hurried close leaning forward in excitement.  
"I think," the Reaper snarled, "that it is high time our erstwhile allies suffer a little in this war. What do you say boys?" The vampires cackled gleefully, fingering their knives. The Reaper smiled his smile of pure malicious joy. "It's going to be an interesting night." Yes, sometimes it was worth running risks, especially ones like this. Pulling the collective noses of the Death Eaters should add a little spice to his existence. He grinned, "I've got the perfect target, let's go." 


	36. Chapter 35: The Giant Traveler

Sorry for my lousy record with posts lately, I'm back at home for break and the internet doesn't work so well here.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 35: The Giant Traveler  
For the next few weeks life went on normally, or as normal as it got attending a school like Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione continued to bicker intermittently, for some unfathomable reason the arguments always seemed to touch on the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts classes and a Bulgarian Professor-in-training. Harry was bewildered when Ginny described his two best friends as cute.  
"You're crazy," he told her, "look at them, I admit something is going on, but it's a wonder they haven't killed each other by now."  
Ginny giggled, "They'll either kill or kiss each other at some point if Ron ever gets a clue and Hermione decides to stop associating with Krum. Come to think of it they're both pretty oblivious."  
"Yeah," Harry agreed, frowning as Dean approached, "oblivious."  
Harry had looked at his interactions with Dean from every angle and he didn't like what it was adding up to. He was resentful of Dean, but only in reference to Ginny, otherwise they got on fine. Harry definitely didn't like where it pointed him, he refused to allow himself to think about the implications. Although it was hard not to think about, seeing Ginny and Dean in the common room every day didn't help.  
Quidditch practices had reached a fevered pitch for all teams as the first matches of the season came around, yet another reason to watch Ginny. While he had recognized her as an accomplished flier watching her play Seeker last year, this year she was where she was supposed to be. As a Chaser she shone, seeing her zooming along, all scarlet robes and red gold hair never failed to make Harry feel lighter, but he felt very uncomfortable every time those feelings began to rise. Ginny and Katie were seamless in their maneuvers. Colin was a bit too erratic of a flier to follow complicated plays, but Katie managed to compensate by just telling him where to be and when to be there, he sneaked quite a few goals past Ron with his unexpected moves.  
Ron had definitely improved over the summer, he seemed to be able to read the minds of the Chasers as they came at him, while he still missed shots, he was much better than he had ever been last year. Dean and Seamus were incredibly zealous in their pursuit of Bludgers, they simply pulverized any threat to the rest of the team. Harry himself looked on every new chance to fly as a blessing, after being given a lifetime ban by Umbridge last year he had feared he would never play quidditch again. He was eternally grateful to Dumbledore for lifting the ban.  
The D.A. continued its weekly lessons with great success, the original group proved to be able teachers and Professor Tofty and Krum faithfully attended every lesson. Harry couldn't shake the dissatisfaction, but Dumbledore had not said more about the "other things he had mentioned. Hermione even managed to look up new spells to practice in her spare time. This irked Ron no end because Krum was helping her. Ron's mood whenever Krum was teaching was positively appalling, although he tried to never let it show to Hermione.  
Lessons and homework were steadily piling up, Harry had no idea how he was going to juggle Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic and Herbology. Especially Potions, Snape was always practically breathing down his neck, waiting for any chance to get him kicked out, Harry was extra careful not to give him an excuse. He had no idea how Hermione had any time at all to banter with Ron, knit those elf clothes or talk girl talk with Ginny, she was handling eight advanced classes to Harry and Ron's six with half the effort.  
Since the attack on St. Mungo's the wizarding world had been quiet, with only minor attacks by Death Eaters seemingly at random on muggle villages and towns. The attacks kept the Ministry busy, but there had been no sign of Voldemort or the Reaper at all. Harry was apprehensive, when someone like that was missing, they were dead or working on something big, Harry didn't want to think what they might be doing. However, Dumbledore's estimate of Voldemort's strength seemed to be accurate, for the moment.  
"Just waiting for something else to happen drives me barmy." Harry remarked, glaring at his difficult Potions essay while lying under the oak tree on the grounds, it was midafternoon.  
"Relax mate," Ron replied, stretched out on the grass and scribbling down definitions and uses of magical gems, his essay showed frequent revision. "it's bad enough to have this stuff happening."  
"Worry doesn't help Harry," Hermione said sagely, "just take it as it comes."  
"Easy for you to say." Harry grumbled.  
Dipping her quill Hermione looked at him, "Honestly Harry I don't see why you have to take the weight of this war on your shoulders, just relax, you're sixteen."  
Harry didn't respond, he still hadn't told them about the prophecy, he really didn't know what to do, he wanted them to know but was afraid of their reactions. He just kept it rolling around in the back of his head, murderer or victim, victorious hero or martyr, this war was his future, whether he liked it or not. Ginny, to her credit had not pressured him to tell anyone else nor mentioned it to him.  
Harry was musing over this when he heard a shout, looking up he saw Hagrid ambling over from his cabin, where he had apparently been entertaining Neville and Luna, Harry could see them walking up to the school hand in hand. Hagrid waved them over, gathering up their materials (Hermione did so somewhat reluctantly.) they hurried over to him, stopping in front of the door to his cabin.  
"Hello there," Hagrid said somewhat sadly, "I'm just about to go off, jes saw you three, thought I'd say hello."  
"Where are you going Hagrid?" asked Hermione.  
"Gotta meet Dumbledore in the forest, would yeh like to come along? He said it would be okay." Hagrid looked at them hopefully.  
"Erm, well we," Harry wasn't too keen to set foot in the forest again, between the giant spiders, angry centaurs and Grawp it seemed to him to be a place to avoid. But Hagrid looked so hopeful he couldn't deny him, and if Dumbledore was going to be there he assumed it would be safe. "Okay, I'll go."  
Hagrid beamed at him, Hermione seemed to be on the verge of refusing, but nodded looking nervous. Ron, who had not had the bad experiences of Harry and Hermione in the forest last year agreed more readily. "Sure, better than Potions essays." Hermione looked as though she'd rather do her essay, but followed as Hagrid led them off into the forest.  
"Um, Hagrid?" Harry asked as they passed into the trees, "What about the centaurs?"  
"Don' yeh be worryin' about that lot," Hagrid said scathingly, I haven't seen 'em around for a while, I expect ole Grawpy scared em all off." He finished with grim satisfaction.  
Harry thought that made perfect sense, if Grawp had been after him the way he had been after those centaurs Harry would have run to India by now. Although the centaurs had seemed very adamant about the idea that the forest belonged to them, did that mean enough to them to stay around Grawp? Maybe.  
Hermione looked extremely nervous being in the forest again, Harry couldn't blame her, Grawp had nearly snagged her in his search for Hagrid. She looked about nervously, unexpectedly she leaned against Ron, who looked surprised but pleased and put his arm around her.  
They continued along in silence for a ways, eventually Hagrid stopped near a clearing and called out, "Professor Dumbledore sir!"  
"Good day everyone, good to see you are here, I wondered if you might like to come," Dumbledore said, smiling at them as he stepped from behind a boulder, "well Hagrid, let's get on with it."  
Hagrid nodded solemnly and moved over to the other side of the clearing where a large boulder fall created a cave. "Grawpy!" he shouted, "Time ter come out Grawpy!"  
Hermione gasped and seized Ron's arm so tightly he grimaced in pain, but he didn't pull away as the sixteen foot, animal skin clad Grawp emerged from the cave and grinned a huge misshapen grin down at Hagrid.  
"Hagger!" he roared enthusiastically reaching out and patting Hagrid on the head as Harry might do to a dog.  
"Good boy Grawpy!" Hagrid said, beaming up at his erstwhile little brother, then he turned serious, "It's time Grawpy."  
Grawp looked down at him muzzily, "Time?" he growled.  
"Yep Grawpy, time ter go, yeh be a good boy now and do what I tole yeh to do okay?" Hagrid looked up at him smiling encouragingly.  
Grawp looked sad, "Hagger come?"  
Hagrid sniffed loudly, "No Grawpy, I can't come, yeh'll be fine without me."  
Grawp stared down at Hagrid for another moment, then he smiled and patted Hagrid affectionately, "Good Hagger!"  
Hagrid managed a watery smile as Dumbledore approached with a shiny metal ball, "Portus." He said, and handed it to Grawp, who took it and looked at it in wonder.  
"Yeh be a good boy now Grawpy," Hagrid said, "remember, jes look an see if them giants is doin' anythin', I'll come see yeh soon."  
"See giants doin!" Grawp agreed and smiled as the Portkey took him away. Pulling out a huge yellow handkerchief Hagrid blew his nose loudly into it, "Oy sir," he said to Dumbledore, "they jes grow up too fast." 


	37. Chapter 36: The Suffering of a Foe

Chapter 36: The Suffering of a Foe  
The first quidditch match of the season was Gryffindor and Slytherin as usual. Knowing that the Gryffindor team was largely replacements Malfoy and the Slytherins stepped up in a ruthless campaign of intimidation. They paid particular attention to Colin Creevey as he was smaller and the large Slytherin Chasers could easily loom over him and threaten him whenever they saw him.  
Luckily Ginny was in all of Colin's classes and took him under her wing, with her encouragement he managed to stand up to the Slytherins' taunts. Ginny herself was completely unfazed by the insults thrown her way and coolly threw quite a few back. Dean and Seamus were largely left alone because Seamus had a nasty habit of using some D.A. jinxes on anyone who so much as mentioned he might be an inadequate Beater, quite a few detentions were given to both houses.  
"Blimey, you'd think they'd give it a rest by now, don't they know it won't work?" Ron said around his bacon the morning of the match. The team was clustered around them, Seamus and Dean looked nervous but elated, Colin was studiously ignoring Crabbe and Goyle, who were looking at him and pantomiming swinging their bats. Ginny was actually humming and staring up at the ceiling, completely at ease. Harry wondered if her attitude came from playing last year or just confidence in her abilities. Katie was smiling and encouraging everyone to eat heartily, completely different from Angelina's intensity and Oliver's fanaticism.  
"All right team," she said when everyone had eaten, "let's go!"  
"Good luck Harry," Hermione said, giving Ginny a hug, she turned to Ron and smiled, "you too Ron." and like before stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. He stepped very lightly on the way out to the pitch, smiling very breezily.  
"Wipe that idiot's grin off your face," Ginny told him as they prepared to go out onto the pitch, "you'll make a bad impression on the spectators."  
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked airily, "I have no idea."  
Harry grinned as they stepped out onto the pitch, the roars of the crowd assaulting his ears. It felt so good to be back he could hardly wait for Madame Hooch's whistle to kick off into that glorious sky.  
"And here come the Gryffindor's!" roared out the new announcer, Dennis Creevey, "This season's lineup, Bell, Potter, Weasley, Weasley, Thomas, Finnigan, and my own brother,Creevey!" The Gryffindor end fairly resounded with wild cheering.  
"Out come the Slytherins!" Dennis continued, a little less confident than Lee Jordan had been, but getting stronger as he went along, "new changes, Denning, Crabbe, Goyle, Rickson, Warrick, Nott, and standing in as reserve Seeker today, Blaise Zabini!"  
"What?" Harry asked, looking around, Ron and Ginny both looked as startled. Harry craned his neck to look past Katie. Sure enough the black- haired Blaise Zabini stood in the space normally reserved for Malfoy. Malfoy himself was nowhere in sight.  
Pondering this unheard of development Harry mounted his broom and kicked off at the sound of the whistle. The Slytherins seemed rather subdued, almost hesitant as Rickson took the Quaffle and began the game.  
Within two minutes Harry could see that Zabini was not as good a flyer as Malfoy, he was competent enough and could fly fast, but he lacked Malfoy's aggressiveness and nerve. Harry easily managed to outfly him. Crabbe and Goyle were desperately putting all their muscle into their hits, but Dean and Seamus held them easily with their superior flying.  
Ginny, Katie and Colin were scoring repeatedly with their well rehearsed maneuvers, Harry had never seen the Slytherins so subdued, even their nasty cheers and cheap shots seemed halfhearted. After Gryffindor was ahead ninety to zero Harry easily beat Zabini to the snitch ending one of the easiest games he'd ever had.  
The Gryffindors cheered wildly, but Harry wasn't really sure they should be celebrating; it was the easiest win Gryffindor had ever had, no challenge at all. It was like the Slytherins had no organization or spirit. And where was Malfoy?  
That was the question on everyone's lips when they reconvened in the common room for a party, everyone seemed amazed at the fact that Slytherin had been beaten so easily, and why Malfoy had missed a quidditch game, he would no more miss a game than Harry would.  
"Any ideas why he wasn't there? His team's hopeless without him." Asked Harry.  
"Who care where he is?" replied Ron, helping himself to a butterbeer and some chocolate frogs. "We trounced them Harry! Who cares where Malfoy went?"  
"It's strange I must admit." Ginny said quietly, bringing pumpkin juice for Harry and Hermione over from where she and Dean had been sitting. "What would make Malfoy miss a quidditch match?"  
"Maybe Hagrid gave him another detention and he was eaten by the thestrals." Ron said hopefully, Harry grinned in spite of himself, while it was odd Malfoy was gone Harry couldn't really care.  
Hermione had been silent through the entire conversation, thinking about something so hard she didn't even tell off Ron for talking with his mouth full. "Just a minute." She said quietly, "Could it be?"  
"What?" asked Ginny, jumping up and following as Hermione hurried into the stairwell of the girls dormitories.  
"What's gotten into her?" asked Ron, polishing off his chocolate frogs.  
"No idea," said Harry, "guess we'll see in a moment."  
Seconds later Hermione came barreling back down the stairs waving a copy of the Daily Prophet with Ginny close behind. "I thought it was, I just didn't pay attention to it!"  
"What is it Hermione?!" Ron asked in exasperation, as she thumped down in her seat.  
"There was another attack today, something about a manor, it could be." She didn't finish her sentence as she found the appropriate page, all four stared down.  
  
Massacre at Malfoy Manor  
Late last night the manor belonging to the Malfoy family was broken in to and several people were murdered. The Manor is currently under the ownership of Narcissa Malfoy since her husband Lucius Malfoy was unmasked as a supporter of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the Ministry attack last spring. Lucius Malfoy was broken out of Azkaban in the summer and remains a dangerous fugitive.  
The Manor's extensive security spell network seemed ineffective last night as a wandering vampire crossed onto the grounds. It was apparently driven mad by pain or magic because the one survivor reported the vampire rushed into the main manor house and began killing the occupants in a murderous frenzy. Information on how the dark creature came to be anywhere near the well protected Manor remains unavailable. The reported victims were three maids, the butler, gardener and a newly indentured house elf.  
Unfortunately Narcissa Malfoy was in the house at the time and was killed with her staff, on maid managed to escape by hiding in the outdoor broom shed.  
The vampire was hunted down and killed by Aurors, who found it wandering the grounds of the mansion in an apparent daze. It was theorized that an overly strong security spell drove the vampire insane, but failed to stop it. A funeral service will be held for the victims in one week.  
  
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the paper, completely speechless. "That's horrible," Hermione whispered and even Ron nodded. No one knew what to think.  
  
That night a boy cried in a huge empty house, but no one was left who loved him enough to hear. 


	38. Chapter 37 Other Things

Wow, such great reviews! With the exception of Antagonist everyone seems to be leaning toward pitying Malfoy. I'm glad people are enjoying my work so much. Sorry this took so long, I've had a mild case of writers block after my wisdom teeth were removed.  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.  
  
Chapter 37: Other Things  
  
Draco Malfoy was not seen at Hogwarts for a week and a half. The fate of his family became a favorite topic among the gossip-mongers of the halls. Harry really didn't know what to think, he hated Malfoy and had done so righteously for a long time, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say Malfoy had deserved what had happened to him. It was hard to imagine anyone who deserved having your mother murdered by a crazed, bloodthirsty monster. The Slytherins seemed disheartened, especially Crabbe and Goyle, who wandered about the school like chickens with heir heads cut off, without Malfoy's guidance they were lost boys.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione learned the most from listening to Pansy Parkinson, who held forth very loudly in the halls or at the Slytherin table about what had happened. "I tell you it's disgraceful!" she shrieked to a group of Slytherins, "they just came up right before the match and told him about it, right before the match! Just dropped all that on him and then took him away! I couldn't believe it!" she sneered angrily, "They could have at least let him play the match before they told him!"  
  
"Horrible little cow isn't she?" Hermione whispered, leafing through the Daily Prophet.  
  
Ron shrugged unconcernedly, "Malfoy always seemed to like her just fine." Of the three, Ron was the one who had the easiest time dismissing what had happened, his opinion of Malfoy seemed little changed.  
  
Hermione seemed strangely intrigued by the incident, Harry saw her examining the article in the Prophet multiple times, she would always end by shaking her head and mumbling, "It just might be, maybe it is." in a low voice. She also eavesdropped on the Slytherins for information about Malfoy's doings and the massacre.  
  
"His father didn't come to the funeral." she told Ron and Harry later that day.  
  
"Well that's no surprise," Ron replied, "he's a wanted slimeball of a Death Eater isn't he."  
  
"He couldn't show at a public event Hermione," Harry said, "he'd be arrested, I wish he would, but he's not that stupid." said Harry feelingly.  
  
"You don't get it," Hermione snapped, "he hasn't seen Malfoy at all, no letter, no visits, nothing, he's left his own son an his own to handle this."  
  
"Do I need to repeat the 'slimeball of a Death Eater' comment Hermione?" asked Ron disinterestedly. ""I'm not in the least surprised."  
  
Harry had to admit Ron had a point, Lucius Malfoy had never struck him as a caring man, however even this seemed a little extreme. He pondered the nature of Malfoy's relationship with his father as they walked down the hall from class. Unexpectedly the object of his contemplation came around the corner ahead and swept past on the way to the Slytherin common room. Malfoy passed, swathed in a black traveling cloak, Harry caught a glimpse of his pale face emptied of emotion as he strode past. Behind him came a concerned looking Pansy and a confused looking Crabbe and Goyle, whom he studiously ignored, his eyes and jaw set.  
  
Harry turned and gazed after them as the odd procession turned the corner and disappeared from sight. He resolved not to think about this for now, it was too complicated. Hermione however had other ideas, she was muttering to herself again.  
  
"What is it?" Ron finally asked in exasperation.  
  
"It's just strange," she said pensively, "how it happened you know?"  
  
"Yeah a crazy vampire massacres an entire manor house, I'd call that a lot of things besides strange."  
  
"That's just it," Hermione said triumphantly, "how did the vampire come to be there? I don't think it was there by accident, I'm not even sure it was crazed like they said it was."  
  
Harry thought about it, the implications slowly dawned, "You think the Reaper had something to do with it?"  
  
"It seems likely." Hermione said.  
  
"Come off it," Ron said incredulously, "aren't they supposed to be on the same side? Why would the Reaper kill Malfoy's mum?"  
  
"Remember what Dumbledore said Ron," Hermione reminded him, "'he is by his very nature a treacherous being' the Reaper would be just as happy killing Death Eaters as he would the Order."  
  
"Or us." said Harry darkly, "it does sound likely doesn't it?"  
  
They all walked in silence until Harry was interrupted by a voice calling him. "Harry Potter!" Firenze trotted up to him from around the corner, "Headmaster Dumbledore would like to speak with you, go to his office, you are expected."  
  
Harry started to thank him but the centaur was already leaving. Waving goodbye to Ron and Hermione he set off for the Headmaster's office. As before the gargoyle moved aside without preamble and Harry made his way up the stairs. The door at the top was only slightly open and Harry stopped outside of it when he heard voices.  
  
"You are both sure of this?" came Dumbledore's voice from inside.  
  
"Aye sir," Hagrid replied, "it was the same one."  
  
"Yes, it vas." Krum voice added itself. "Ve saw it before they killed it, it vas the same vampire that ve had for the class." Harry started, were they talking about what he thought they were?  
  
"Do either of you have any idea how it may have escaped?" Dumbledore asked severely.  
  
"It had to have help sir," Hagrid stated firmly, "there was no way he got out o that cage by himself, shouldn't have left 'im so close to the forest, it was probably something from there. Tried to eat 'im and lost to 'im instead, that's what I think sir."  
  
"This is highly suspicious," Dumbledore said, "the manor was a long ways away and it only had a week to travel. Look into what might have opened the cage, both of you, it is of utmost importance we know as soon as possible. I already met with Draco when he came in earlier, I think it best he not know about this yet."  
  
"All righ' sir," Hagrid replied, "good day to yeh."  
  
"Good day Headmaster." Krum said.  
  
"Harry stood back as they passed through the door, "Hello there Harry mate!" Hagrid clapped him on the back lightly as he passed. "Come down an see me later eh?"  
  
"Sure Hagrid!" Harry said, smiling. Krum uncharacteristically passed quickly and quietly, he seemed to be deep in thought.  
  
"Come in Harry." came Dumbledore's voice from within.  
  
Harry walked into the office, but saw no one, just Fawkes perched quietly, the usual dozing portraits, the strange devices. "Er sir, where are you?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"Over here on my desk Harry." Dumbledore's voice sounded slightly amused.  
  
Harry walked to the desk, sitting propped up on it was a small mirror with Dumbledore's face in it. Harry felt a slight twinge remembering Sirius' mirror, lying repaired in his trunk, but brushed it off quickly.  
  
"You'll have to excuse the method of communication Harry," Dumbledore's reflection said, his eyes twinkling, "I'm at a meeting and they don't have a fireplace, Floo Powder is less popular in America I'm told."  
  
"America!" Harry said incredulously, the portrait of Phineas Nigellus hissed at him.  
  
"Yes, the U.S. Republic of Magic has just agreed to aid us in our struggle. Of course they themselves are having their own troubles here, but they have agreed to send their finest Auror squad to assist in the war, I'm just making arrangements for their transport."  
  
"Ummm, I see." Harry said, he had forgotten the Order had been trying to arrange foreign aid, he wondered what other countries might have agreed to help.  
  
"Well I just wanted to speak with you quickly while I had a moment. First of all let me say that I am very impressed with the progress of the D.A. well done."  
  
"Thank you sir." Harry said, "But I,"  
  
"Just a moment Harry, hear me out," Dumbledore said quickly, "I feel that the D.A. training has reached the level where my other plans can be put into action. I have decided that the original members, under your leadership, will be given additional training." Harry's heart leaped, this was what he had been hoping for. "You will be given problems to solve, obstacles to overcome, like the Triwizard if you will. Each test will be arranged by someone different, they will begin next term, you may want to have your people trained up by then."  
  
"Yes sir!" Harry said loudly, portraits were now grumbling at him, "Thank you very much!"  
  
"Dumbledore smiled, then his reflection tilted slightly, "Looks like they're ready for me, good day Harry and good luck." He disappeared with a proud smile on his face.  
  
Harry exited the office feeling like he was walking on sunshine. 


	39. Chapter 38: Black Hearts

Good to have you back Melindaleo! Glad to know you're still reading, along with all of my other reviewers. You're all great! Just to clarify about Malfoy, not all the bad guys in these books can turn good, it's just not likely to happen, wait and see which way he goes.  
  
Disclaimer: Boy I'm tired of saying the Harry Potter concept belongs to JKR not me.  
  
Chapter 38: Black Hearts  
  
The Reaper was just polishing off a university professor, (One of his boys had found the young man doing research alone in an old library and brought him back as a present.) when the steel door blew in. Lucius Malfoy came through the smoke with his wand raised. "Where is that damnable beast?!" he roared to the room at large.  
  
The Reaper dropped his victim, licking his lips, "There's a pet store three blocks south if you're looking for damnable beasts. We just sell death here," he smirked at the enraged Death Eater, "I'd be willing to give you a very reasonable price."  
  
Malfoy ground his teeth, "You did it, I know you did! You cursed bastard, how dare you!"  
  
The master vampire cocked an eyebrow, seemingly not understanding. "What's got your mask in a twist? Couldn't be that whole massacre thing I read about in the paper could it? If you're looking for condolences go find someone who cares," he pursed his lips sarcastically, "although if you're looking for that you might have to look for a very long time." His eyes were sparkling in fiendish delight.  
  
Lucius Malfoy pointed his wand, "Avada," before he could finish a tiny jab in his side distracted him.   
  
Standing next to him was a tall vampire with long black hair and a vicious scar across his aristocratic face. 'Vladimir' was tattooed across his wrist, along with the mark proclaiming him a follower of the Reaper. The vampire held a long stiletto pressed into Malfoy's side. He grinned, showing off pointed fangs, "Boo."  
  
When Lucius looked forward again the Reaper was standing right in his face, his wand tip almost touching the vampire's nose. "Now Malfoy, what's this all about? I assume it's not a social call."  
  
Lucius scowled, "You did it, you had your filthy little beast enter my ancestral home and desecrate it with his bloodlust!" he spat, almost incoherent in his rage, "Those Ministry worms crawled all over it, took priceless Dark artifacts that have been in my family for generations! Broke into the vaults! They laid hands on items that belong to the Dark Lord himself! And all because of you!"  
  
The Reaper looked serious for the barest of seconds, then grinned in amusement, almost laughing. "You know, this really is interesting. Here you are, a wanted fugitive who has just lost his wife to murder, and the very first thing you bring up is some dusty old relics?" He then laughed openly, "I'm as fond of old things as the next guy, but that strikes me as a little extreme."  
  
Malfoy snarled, "You have no idea what you're dealing with you stupid animal! She was a woman of pure breeding, but not the only one of her kind! She questioned my purpose anyway the disloyal simpering fool! She wished to take me for herself and keep me from this great war. My loyalties are clear, the Dark Lord wanted those things protected and thanks to your treachery they were not!"  
  
The Reaper was still grinning, "Heh, and what about your son?"  
  
For just a moment Lucius hesitated, then his flaring anger eclipsed it, "You will not speak of him, his loyalties will not waver! I have trained him well, he understands what is expected of him and he will not fail me, unlike his mother!"  
  
The Reaper looked at him, shaking his head, "Well now, that is interesting too. I'm glad to see someone in this world confident in his priorities. Why don't you go kill some muggles? I'm sure that will make you feel better, there's a really annoying florist down the street if you're taking suggestions."  
  
"Shut up! You will pay!" roared Malfoy clenching his fists, "You will pay! I will see to that! You can't cross me and get away with it! I'll,"  
  
The Reaper's fist came flying out of nowhere and bashed across Malfoy's face lifting him up off the floor and dumping him on his back. Vladimir hissed with laughter as the Reaper bent over the prostrate wizard, "Might I ask two questions? First, where's your proof that you're going to present to your boss after he wants to know why you killed me? And second, is there any good reason you can give me for not taking a quick nightcap from your veins and turning you into my servant?"  
  
Malfoy glared from the floor, "You wouldn't dare! The Dark Lord,"  
  
"Is displeased over the loss of his precious heirlooms," interrupted the grinning perhaps displeased enough to lend you to me. And if he gets angry, it just makes my life, as it were, that much more interesting!" his eyes glinted, "I'm game if you are, care to try me?"  
  
Malfoy stared into those flaring yellow eyes for a full minute, then with as much dignity as he could muster he stood. Retrieving his wand from where it had fallen, he backed out the door into the night.  
  
As he prepared to apparate the Reaper, a mere shadow in the gloom, spoke quietly. "Run back to your boss Malfoy, and hope he likes you enough with your blood still in you. I'll be seeing you around watchdog."  
  
With a crack the Death Eater vanished, the vampire's cruel laughter ringing in his ears. The Reaper turned to his retainer, "Well done Vlad, his face was priceless!"  
  
The vampire inclined his head, "Thank you master."  
  
"Humph, I do wish someone had taught him how to knock though." the Reaper said, examining the ruined door critically. "Looks like we're relocating, get the others moved out. Did you find the address?"  
  
"Not yet master, they do not live near any wizards so the normal archives are useless." Vlad replied, again bowing in servility.  
  
"Use the muggle system then, it will take longer but hey, who's in a hurry? I've got all the time in the world." The Reaper chuckled as his minion left to attend his assignment. 


	40. Chapter 39: Assailing Doubt

Welcome to silverangel20, I'm glad another person is enjoying my work, I hope you'll continue to read.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own the Potterverse.  
  
Chapter 39: Assailing Doubt  
  
As Harry hurried out the stairs he nearly ran down old Professor Tofty, who had just said the password and was on his way up. "Sorry Professor!" he said quickly.  
  
"Easy young sir!" squeaked the aged Professor, "I say, is Dumbledore in?"  
  
"Yes!" Harry said, his mind already full of the adventure and excitement of leading the D.A. into the challenges. He was halfway down the hall and the gargoyle had already jumped back into place before he remembered Dumbledore was actually not in his office, but was rather more than three thousand miles away. By then it was far too late to stop Professor Tofty. Oh well Phineas Nigellus would probably tell him, in a sarcastic fashion no doubt, Harry hurried on.  
  
He burst into the common room right into the middle of another row between Ron and Hermione. "You do too need it!" roared Ron, the rest of the common room was either studiously ignoring the two combatants or in the process of making themselves scarce.  
  
"Stop trying to protect me!" Hermione shrieked back at him, "I can take care of myself!"  
  
"Well excuse me for... Harry!" Ron looked over at him, "Good maybe you can set her straight!"  
  
Hermione shook in a manner reminiscent of Mrs. Weasley and opened her mouth to retort. "Never mind that now!" Harry broke in hurriedly, "I just got some news out of Dumbledore!"  
  
To his surprise Hermione dropped the argument instantly, "Great Harry! Was it about the massacre?" Ron made a growling noise and she rolled her eyes, Harry could guess what this particular row had been about.  
  
"Well er," this wasn't what Harry had hoped to bring up first, and he suddenly noticed he had drawn a lot of attention. Ginny approached from a table across the room, Dean and Seamus right behind her. Parvati and Lavender were obviously eavesdropping from over by the fireplace and the Creevey brothers were suddenly sitting around him like it was story time. "I um, Dumbledore's going to give the original D.A. extra training! We're going to be doing something besides teaching!" he blurted out, deciding to wait for a more private setting before revealing the other piece of information.  
  
Hermione grinned, but looked disappointed too, he'd have to tell her later about the vampire. Ron whooped and immediately went into a victory dance with Dean and Seamus. The Creevey brothers looked slightly bewildered by this news, Parvati and Lavender looked openly nervous. Harry looked in between the jubilant boys to see Ginny's smile shining at him, good grief she had a nice smile.  
  
"But Harry," Parvati's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Are you sure? I mean, was he serious?" This was not the attitude Harry wanted to hear and (perhaps because it had interrupted him from admiring Ginny's smile) he was in no mood to be charitable.  
  
"Never mind that Parvati!" he snapped, "Everyone, go find the rest of our people and meet me at the oak tree on the lawn in fifteen minutes okay?"  
  
Dean, Seamus and the Creevey brothers were out the portrait hole like a shot, Parvati and Lavender followed more slowly, still looking unhappy. Harry turned back, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were left. Quickly he explained what Dumbledore had told him about the challenges, Ron was enthusiastic, "This is bloody great, I've been waiting for something like this, that teaching gets boring after a while!"  
  
Hermione looked affronted, but let the comment pass. Ginny was grinning knowingly at the two of them. Hermione then turned to Harry, "Well did he tell you anything else?"  
  
"No," Harry said, "but I did hear him talking to Hagrid and Krum." He related the conversation, Hermione remained rapt throughout, Ron tried to look disinterested, Ginny just looked pensive.  
  
"The vampire was that same one Hagrid had?" Ginny asked, "How did it get out?"  
  
"Hagrid wasn't sure, but he thought something from the forest tried to attack it and instead let it out by accident." Harry answered.  
  
"What could have done that?" Ron wondered, "Was Grawp back at the time?" Harry shrugged, "Well I guess the Reaper couldn't have had anything to do with it then!" he said, looking triumphantly at Hermione.  
  
"I don't know Ron," Hermione replied thoughtfully, "How did it end up at Malfoy's house a week later? It would have had to have gone straight there. That implies it had orders or directions." Ron shook his head unconvinced.  
  
Ginny looked at her watch, "Come one, we'd better be the first ones down at the oak tree."  
  
They hurried down to the grounds only to find they were not the first ones there, Neville and Luna sat quietly under the tree, her head resting on his shoulder as she explained Crumple-Horned Snorekacks to him. "Hey Harry! Heard the news!" Neville said brightly, as they approached.. Harry was startled, he hadn't seen Neville like this since the attack on his parents. He didn't really feel it was his place to ask why though.  
  
Fortunately, (Or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it.) there were less subtle people than him present. "Why are you so ruddy cheerful?" asked Ron, leave it to him to be direct.  
  
"My parents are going to be okay!" Neville said happily, Hermione and Ginny practically squealed in delight while Ron and Harry shouted congratulations. Luna smiled her dreamy smile and gave Neville a kiss on the cheek that set him blushing beetroot red.  
  
"Great news Neville!" Harry said, "Even better than mine!"  
  
"I'm looking forward to this extra stuff," Neville said, without a trace of his usual pessimism, "Should be fun and interesting."  
  
"I'm going to recommend that some heliopaths be put in our tests," Luna said dreamily, "they can probably get some from the Minister's private army now that he's not being delusional anymore."  
  
Ginny smiled, "That's great Luna, we should do that." Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
Harry laughed and turned to see the other members of the D.A. coming down toward him en mass. Looking at their faces he judged their feelings to be mixed. Dean, Seamus, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Katie Bell all looked excited about the news. The Creevey brothers, Michael Corner, Cho, and Ernie MacMillan looked uncertain. Parvati and Padma Patil, Lavender, Hannah Abbott and Marietta Edgecombe all looked supremely nervous, as though they'd rather not be here.  
  
"What's this about challenges?" asked Michael aggressively, when everyone had gathered. Harry sighed, he wondered if all "leaders" had to deal with attitude cases like this. He explained in exact detail what Dumbledore had told him. When he was finished the questions flew thick and fast.  
  
"Who'll be setting up the challenges?" asked Ernie.  
  
"The teachers I assume." Harry replied.  
  
"You mean we might have to do a challenge by Hagrid! Or Snape!" Parvati squealed.   
  
Harry didn't like her tone about Hagrid, but answered anyway. "It's possible."  
  
"This could be dangerous though Harry!" Lavender broke in, "I'm not sure I want to be a part of this."  
  
"Come on Lavender!" Hermione retorted, "Do you honestly think Dumbledore would put us in danger?"  
  
"I suppose not," Cho said thoughtfully, but she still looked nervous.  
  
"What about the Triwizard?" Lavender said defensively, "We're just students, should we have to handle this?" There was a chorus of echoing worries from around the group.  
  
Harry's patience was wearing thin he cast about for something to say that would lay this stuff to rest. His eyes fell on Hagrid's cabin. "You say we're just students," he said quietly, "well, I say being students is more than enough for this! We can do more than any students in this school, why do you have doubts about your own abilities?"  
  
"Hear Hear!" roared Seamus, Dean and Neville while Ron pounded him on the back, but some still looked nervous, Marietta was even edging away.  
  
Harry shook his head, "Want me to prove it to you?" He looked around the circle, no one spoke. "All right then, follow me." he set off down to Hagrid's cabin. 


	41. Chapter 40: Motivation

I'm not sure this chapter is very good, I'm struggling a little with this part of the story. Tell me what you think.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything having to do with him.  
  
Chapter 40: Motivation  
  
Harry ignored the curious glances from Hermione, Ginny and Ron and strode directly to Hagrid's cabin and around it to the paddock in back. The gryphon was still there, as usual staring haughtily off into the distance. There were quite a few gasps as Harry strode directly underneath the gryphon's head and turned around. "Being who we are is more than enough to do this." he said firmly, his eyes fell on Ginny, "Being who we are is something special."  
  
He turned around, climbed up onto the fence and shouted at the creature barely two feet away, "Hey, you!"   
  
Gasps radiated from all directions, "Harry!" Hermione whispered in that voice she always used when she felt he was doing something untoward or foolish.  
  
"Bloody hell mate!" Ron's eyes were as big as dinner plates. Everyone was staring at the scene in state of fearful fascination, several backing up, prepared for a violent reaction.  
  
The gryphon however took no notice of Harry despite his close proximity, it continued its vigil looking off into the distance. Harry felt a prickle of annoyance, besides making his point harder to prove it smarted at his ego just to be ignored as inconsequential. Steeling himself, (and hoping he wasn't about to lose a vital part of his body.) he leaned forward even more. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" he shouted up at the gryphon's face. No effect.  
  
His annoyance at its continued refusal to cooperate with his demonstration prompted him to do what he did next. Reaching up he seized a handful of the tawny feathers at the top of the gryphon's neck and yanked downward until he was staring it in the eyes. Shouts and shrieks nearly deafened him, and he was sure from the thump behind him someone had just fainted. The feathers along the gryphon's entire body rattled in irritation and its claws dug long furrows in the dirt as its tail lashed back and forth.  
  
Harry held his ground, his eyes inches from the massive gold and black orbs staring back at him. The gryphon snapped its beak with a sound like a steel trap, its eyes narrowed at it tried to pull away. Harry tugged harder to keep the head in place, a hissing sound escaped the gryphon as it leaned forward threateningly. Harry never stopped staring though, he rather felt that to blink would be a sign of weakness to the huge beast. Utter silence reigned as the two stared at each other.  
  
Finally the gryphon seemed to relax visibly, though it did not blink as it pulled its head from Harry's grasp, he got the feeling it could have done that at any time. Still staring haughtily, the gryphon rose up, Harry nearly fell off the fence as it's huge wings opened and swept forward and back in a kind of salute. Then it resumed its earlier pose.  
  
Harry jumped down from the fence to a stunned silence, breathlessly Harry looked around at the stunned faces, Marietta lay passed out on the grass. "Doubt has no place with us," he said, "we can do it."  
  
To his surprise they still looked pretty doubtful, "Well?" he asked in annoyance, rather feeling he had just risked grievous bodily harm for no good reason. "What now?"  
  
"Well, you see Harry," Parvati began and then trailed off, looking to Lavender.  
  
"Just because you can do it doesn't mean we should have to!" she finished quickly, "Look at everything you've done, this really doesn't mean anything for us ordinary people."  
  
Harry nearly slapped himself in exasperation, what did they want from him?! He tried to fit his mind around this new complaint, obviously doing something himself wouldn't do anything, the mystical element surrounding him was too strong, someone else then, but who? His eyes wandered around. Someone that could convince them beyond a shadow of a doubt that they should have confidence in their abilities. He arrived at the right conclusion just as his eyes landed on him.  
  
"All right," he snapped at the group of nay-sayers, "someone else then." he beckoned, "Neville. show them what you're made of."  
  
Neville's eyes shot open wide, he began to stammer a negative, but everyone had turned to look at him. Luna smiled happily at him, as though he were giving her a gift rather than being volunteered to do something stupid and dangerous, and squeezed his hand. It was this above all things that seemed to decide him. His face set, but pale, Neville strode forward next to Harry. "I can do it." he said, seemingly trying to convince himself more than anyone else.  
  
"Oh go on Neville," Harry said encouragingly, "if I can do it you can." Everyone else seemed quite ill at ease about his choice though. Ron looked uneasy, Hermione was even looking at Harry in that nagging way of hers, even Ginny looked worried. Everyone else looked even more apprehensive than when Harry had pulled his stunt. Clearly they were expecting Neville to get eaten. 'Come one Neville,' he prayed silently, 'don't let me down.'  
  
His shoulders squared, Neville marched up to the paddock and paused, looking up at the gryphon. He seemed deep in thought rather than nervous, as though he was unsure how to go about doing it, but wasn't dwelling on fear. Neville stared for a long moment and then walked up and hurdled the fence into the paddock with the gryphon. "Er, Neville?" Harry whispered to him, "What are you doing?"  
  
"I've got to do this my way Harry." Neville replied, not taking his eyes off the gryphon. Stiffly he began walking toward the beast, straight-backed and proud. Harry had no idea what Neville intended to do, but now he wasn't sure this had been such a good idea. Fortunately for him, (and perhaps Neville too.) he never had to find out. As the boy approached the gryphon's eyes swiveled down to regard him. Stern and proud the gryphon advanced sedately, Neville swallowed hard but did not slacken his pace.  
  
There was a poignant silence from the watchers, everyone seemed to be waiting with bated breath. Finally when it seemed the gryphon was about to trample all over Neville it stopped and sat down directly in front of him. Harry was baffled, the gryphon had refused to even look at anyone else, why was it paying attention to Neville now?  
  
"Aura," whispered Hermione, as if that explained everything. Harry remembered what she had said about the gryphon reading aura to decide whether or not to respect someone. Professor Flitwick had described a person's aura as a manifestation of their personality, their strengths, weaknesses, thoughts and fears. Had the gryphon read Neville's aura and automatically decided he was worthy of notice? Why hadn't it done that for Harry?  
  
After Neville had halted in front of it the gryphon lowered its head to stare him in the eyes just as it had done to Harry. For a long moment, longer than Harry had locked gazes with it, the two stared each other down. Finally the gryphon raised its head grudgingly and clacked its beak. The sound was one Harry had heard before, he was trying to place it when Hermione whispered frantically to Neville, "It wants you to feed it!"  
  
Neville jumped in surprise, looking around at a loss until Seamus and Dean seized a piece of dragon meat from a barrel beside Hagrid's cabin and hauled it to him. After Neville had dragged the meat to the gryphon it swept its wings to him as well and promptly ignored everything as it set about its meal with gusto.  
  
Turning away from the rather disturbing scene Harry faced his audience, "Anyone else need convincing?" he asked, clapping Neville on the back. There was a chorus of no's, "Good, everyone just brush up on everything we've taught and we'll be ready." The group fragmented into smaller parts and slowly drifted away.  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron stayed, Neville had gone hurrying off with Luna right behind him, Harry was sure he was looking for a soft place to collapse on. Facing the gryphon hadn't been easy for him. "Harry you're barking mad mate!" Ron said, he sounded more proud than shocked.  
  
"That wasn't the wisest course of action Harry." Hermione lectured him, "But at least it got the point across."  
  
"Think we can do this?" Harry asked, watching the myriad groups of the D.A. disappearing.  
  
"Sure we can!" Ron replied, "we've got you don't we mate!" Harry grinned, the euphoria was infectious. Ron however, was not grinning, he was looking over Harry's shoulder in surprise and then anger.  
  
Harry turned, Malfoy was leaning against the oak tree watching them. His face was hard, devoid of emotion, he gave a little shake of his head and turned to walk away. Harry, who resented being spied upon, wanted some answers and set off immediately after the retreating Slytherin, Ron and Hermione behind him. 


	42. Chapter 41: Confusion and Realization

Here it is folks, the turning point, the moment of revelation.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 41: Confusion and Realization  
  
Harry rapidly caught him up, "Hey Malfoy!" he shouted loudly.  
  
Malfoy halted and turned unhurriedly, his face was impassive, devoid of his usual sneer. "What do you want?" he said dourly, as though Harry had interrupted him from doing something important.  
  
"What are you doing hanging around here?" Ron asked aggressively, Hermione gave him a warning look.  
  
Malfoy ignored Ron completely and looked at Harry expectantly. However now that he was actually facing his nemesis for the first time since the news of the massacre, he couldn't think of anything to say. "Well, er..."  
  
"Look Malfoy," Hermione said quickly, "we're sorry about,"  
  
"Save it." Malfoy snarled, "You expect me to believe you care?" He shook his head, "Heh, I suppose you just can't help being a goody-goody, I should expect it."  
  
Ron glared angrily, Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder which seemed to have a calming effect on him. Harry himself still didn't know what he was supposed to say.  
  
"Let's get something straight," Malfoy said, "I don't like any of you, and you don't like me. Let's just leave it at that, okay?" He seemed drained, "You think this changes anything?" Harry thought he saw a tear in the corner of Malfoy's eye, "It doesn't you hear? It changes nothing," he turned away, "it doesn't."  
  
Hermione seemed about to say something, but Malfoy was already hurrying away. "Well that was productive." Ron said, glaring after the Slytherin.  
  
"I guess we shouldn't have expected anything else." Harry remarked.  
  
"I don't know," Hermione seemed unconvinced, "wait a little while and then we'll see."  
  
"Hermione this is Malfoy we're talking about," Ron said in exasperation, "like he said, this changes nothing."  
  
"If you don't change where's the incentive for him to change?" Hermione demanded.  
  
"So it has to start with me then?" Ron shot back, "He's the one who's been a slimy git all these years, seems to me it ought to start with him."  
  
"That's not the kind of attitude that's going to help anything Ron." Hermione lectured.  
  
They bickered all the way up to the castle and into the common room, neither had changed their opinion by the time Harry deposited them at a table and slid unobtrusively away. At least neither had asked him his opinion. He just didn't know and thinking about it made his head hurt. He had hated Malfoy before this had happened, and a part of him wanted to be like Ron and leave it at that. But a little voice in his head he usually associated with Hermione kept nagging him that this was the wrong stance to take.  
  
Malfoy seemed content to leave it on simpler ground, so Harry felt that maybe he should do the same, he left it open, he'd think about it later. He saw Ginny doing homework on another table, to his pleasure Dean was nowhere in sight. He hurried over.  
  
"What are they arguing about now?" Ginny asked as he sat down next to her.  
  
"Malfoy." Harry said.  
  
"Ah," she looked at them, "I could have seen this one coming, she's too forgiving and he's not forgiving enough."  
  
"So what would you do?" Harry asked.  
  
Ginny shrugged, "I have no idea, I've just decided to let things be. It's not really my problem anyway." She grinned at him, "You really gave them a shocker with that gryphon today."  
  
"Neville did it too." Harry protested, though it felt good to be praised, especially by her, he felt he should give credit where credit was due.  
  
Ginny shook her head, "But you were the heart of it."  
  
"Well you know," Harry shrugged, "They just needed to be taught the same lesson you taught me."  
  
"Oh come on Harry," she said, "what did I ever teach you?"  
  
"To have confidence in myself," Harry said, smiling at her, "to know that I am a special person who can do what he has to do."  
  
Ginny smiled back at him, but Harry felt it was a trifle more nervous smile than he would have liked. What was it with the two of them that made her so uncomfortable? He tried to push the thought away, but this time it stuck as he gazed into her brown eyes. He resolved that today was as good a day as any to put some of that confidence to the test. He leaned toward her.  
  
"I want to thank you for that, for giving me that idea," he said, and meant it, "you did a great thing for me."  
  
Like before, Ginny did not meet his eyes, "You're welcome Harry, it was the least I could do for you."  
  
"No, it was more than that," Harry said, "no one else has ever helped me feel that way, not even Dumbledore." She was definitely not meeting his eyes, what on earth was going on?  
  
As if it were a repeat of their earlier conversations she stood up abruptly, gathering her things. "Sorry Harry, lots of work to do you know."  
  
Frustration boiled up in Harry, "What are you afraid of?"  
  
It took him a few moments to realize that he had said it out loud, Ginny had frozen in the act of picking up Charms notes. Deciding he couldn't make things worse he reached out and laid a hand on hers, "What are you afraid of?" he said more quietly.  
  
Ginny's eyes met his and he saw in them confusion and pain, but it was gone in a moment as she looked over his shoulder, "Dean..."  
  
Harry sat back quickly as Dean Thomas appeared across the table from them. "Hey," he said, sitting down with his eyes flicking back and forth between them, "what's up?"  
  
Harry looked over at Ginny, but she was fixed on Dean, sighing he decided he needed to get away. "Nothing much Dean," he said quietly, standing up, "I'll see you guys around okay?"  
  
Dean was still looking between them, "Sure Harry, see you at practice later."  
  
"Yeah." Harry said and left them sitting there. Seizing his cloak from in between Ron and Hermione, who had finished their argument and looked up at him in surprise as he flung his cloak around his shoulders and hurried out the portrait hole. He needed time to clear his head.  
  
Striding down the halls he automatically aimed for the front entrance and the grounds outside where he was less likely to run into anyone. As he walked he began running over all of the thoughts and emotions in his head he had been studiously ignoring ever since he had seen Ginny come down the stairs in the Burrow looking so radiant. First he tackled his feelings toward Dean, which hadn't been complimentary in a long time, why? 'All right,' he thought to himself, 'what reason have you got to be angry with him?' He couldn't think of any, he and Dean always got along fine, and neither of their behaviors had changed so what was it? What had changed?  
  
Ginny. This had began when he had seen him at the Burrow with Ginny. That was when the adverse reactions to Dean had begun. 'And there's your answer, it all comes down to Ginny.' That wonderful girl who had helped pick him up again after Sirius had died, that pretty girl who could fly so well, that mischievous girl who's laughter was like music. Harry stopped so abruptly that he nearly tripped over his own feet and sprawled on the grass. Staring straight ahead his mind clicked, these were not normal feelings for a friend, even a good friend, she had worked her way into his heart.  
  
You like her. Maybe even more than like her.  
  
He sat down in the grass by the lake, bewildered by this revelation. Blood hell, life had just gotten complicated again. He had fallen for someone he used to think of as Ron's little sister. Now she was an incredible young woman, so high in esteem as to be almost unreachable. 'Well' he thought feebly, 'what do I do about this?'  
  
It was a mark of how completely stunned he was when he didn't even notice Hagrid approaching, until...  
  
"Harry!" he jumped almost a foot straight up, despite the fact he was sitting down.  
  
Hagrid was standing right behind him, a wild look on his face, "Yeh haven't heard the news?!" he asked. Harry shook his head, too winded to speak at the moment. "Somebody's been theivin' right in Dumbledore's office! The sword o' Godric Gryffindor has been stolen!" 


	43. Chapter 42: The Usual Suspects

Thank you so much for all the great reviews, I do have to answer one question though. Kaye, a good question, but I'm afraid it's not one I can give you a satisfactory answer to. I hate to say, you'll find out, but that's the answer I have to give. You've asked a very relevant question though. Keep Reviewing!  
  
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of this, please don't sue me.  
  
Chapter 42: The Usual Suspects  
  
"How on earth did this happen?" Hermione shook her head disbelievingly, Harry had just arrived with the news of the theft, flying back up to the common room like he was on his Firebolt.  
  
"Blimey." was all Ron said, it seemed to be the only thing he was capable of saying since Harry had dropped his bombshell.  
  
"In Dumbledore's office and everything," Harry said, he still had trouble believing it himself. "stole it right out of his office."  
  
"Who could want the sword of Godric Gryffindor?" Hermione mused, laying aside the elf hat she was knitting, Harry still hadn't told her Dobby was the only house elf enjoying the fruits of her labor.  
  
"Do you have to ask?" Harry said, "It seems obvious to me Voldemort stole it."  
  
"But why would he want it?" Hermione asked, "As near as I know he can't have any use for it."  
  
Ron shook his head, "Blimey."  
  
The news was all over the school the following day, the gossipers nearly burst from excitement, rumors flew thick and fast around the mysterious event. People were quite unnerved to know that something could be removed from the Headmaster's office with such apparent ease. It was whispered a powerful Dark Wizard, perhaps even Voldemort himself, had removed the sword. The rumor caused some heightened nerves and anxiety for the next few days, Hannah Abbot was the worst affected and took to shrieking loudly when anyone walked too close or spoke suddenly.  
  
"How did they get past Dumbledore?" Ron asked incredulously as they packed up their Potions ingredients and hurried away under Snape's withering glare, heading down to the Great Hall and dinner.  
  
"He wasn't in the office all day," Harry told him about the mirror and Dumbledore being in America. "they wouldn't have had to worry about him, he wasn't even in the country."  
  
"But there are loads of ancient and powerful detection and security spells on every inch of that office," Hermione said, "I've read about in in Hogwarts a History. Not to mention all the portraits who could have seen them, it's supposed to be impossible."  
  
"Getting the Sorcerer's stone was supposed to be impossible," Ron reminded her, "and we managed it in first year."  
  
"This would take some serious planning though Ron," Hermione replied, "a lot of preparation and observation would have to happen before you could even think of stealing something from that office." she paused, "Which means..."  
  
"You think it was someone here?" Harry asked, arriving at the obvious conclusion, "You think it was an inside job?"  
  
Hermione sighed, "It's likely, there's no way to tell anyway."  
  
"But you were there mate," Ron said to Harry suddenly, " you were there on the day it was stolen, was it there when you went in?"  
  
Harry tried to think back, "I don't know, it might or might not have been."  
  
"Then the thief was there the same day you were Harry." Hermione said excitedly, "Did you notice anyone hanging about? Anyone who went in?"  
  
"Er let's see," Harry thought for a moment, "Krum and Hagrid were in there talking with Dumbledore before I went in." Ron's eyes lit up at the mention of Krum's name, he looked immediately suspicious.  
  
"Well we know it was neither of them," Hermione brushed them aside, Ron looked unconvinced, "anyone else?"  
  
"Yeah, Professor Tofty went in after I left," Harry said, "I didn't stop him because I was so preoccupied, he was looking for Dumbledore."  
  
Hermione looked pensive, "Well, I don't really know anything about him."  
  
"Oh come off it Hermione, look at him," Ron snorted, "he wouldn't even be able to lift the sword, much less badger off with it. Besides, he's no Death Eater." He seemed convinced he had the right suspect, and Harry didn't have to stretch to think of who Ron was singling out.  
  
"Wait," Harry had a sudden thought, he remembered a snippet of the conversation he overheard between Dumbldore, Hagrid and Krum. "there was one more person in the office at some time that day."  
  
"Who?" Hermione and Ron leaned forward eagerly.  
  
Harry looked over toward the Slytherin table at one boy sitting alone in an apparent sulk. "Malfoy."  
  
Of the three of them, all chose different options, Ron immediately latched onto the idea that it was Krum, and he had bamboozled Hagrid and stolen the sword right from under his nose. Hermione seemed to gravitate toward finding out more about Professor Tofty. Harry himself thought that, out of the three, Malfoy was the most likely candidate.  
  
"This is a fine thing to happen," he muttered, as they retired to the common room after dinner to finish their homework. "bugger, just when I had one thing complicating my life another lands on me directly after, do they always come in groups?"  
  
"What are you talking about Harry?" Hermione asked shrewdly, as she got out her homework. "What other thing is it?"  
  
"Nothing!" Harry said quickly, "What's the wand movement for a Double-reflection spell?"  
  
"Two firm flicks, also enunciate very clearly." Hermione answered without hesitation, but Harry wasn't entirely sure the question had deflected her, she was pretty sharp when it came to reading people, look at the way she had told him about Cho.  
  
He wasn't about to mention his revelations about Ginny to either Hermione or Ron. Hermione would definitely meddle and probably go off and tell Ginny, given how good of friends they were now. Ginny seemed weirded out enough without Hermione telling her things and making it worse. With his level of little sister protectiveness telling Ron would probably be worth a black eye and a couple of missing teeth, Harry wasn't in a hurry to meet that eventuality.  
  
He hadn't seen much of Ginny since their little chat had been interrupted, she was around, but she was always talking with Hermione, Katie or Luna. Harry didn't dare approach her, he had no idea how he would act and Dean was never very far away. Harry wasn't about to force the issue, especially when he didn't have his own feelings on the matter ironed out. Acknowledging them was one thing, acting on them was quite another. At the moment he didn't feel up to the task of puzzling out what to do next.  
  
The Daily Prophet continued to report on raids and killings now being conducted all over England by Death Eaters reinforced by Dementors, vampires and even a few giants. Casualty counts were low so far, but Harry had a bad feeling that it would only be a matter of time before that changed. Voldemort wouldn't remain under strength for too long, he had the imperius curse and his own very potent powers of persuasion, Harry knew the Dark Lord's forces were growing. Worse yet, his scar was beginning to give him twinges again.  
  
Harry was surprised the following day when Hedwig brought him a short, official-looking letter;  
  
Harry,  
  
I understand you were at the scene of the theft of the sword of Godric Gryffindor the day the crime was committed. I would appreciate your help and cooperation in my investigation into this matter. Meet me at the Three Broomsticks at 2:00 next Hogsmeade weekend? Your friends are welcome as well.  
  
Kingsley Shacklebolt  
  
Department of Magical Law Enforcement  
  
Auror Division  
  
"Maybe we can find out some news too!" Hermione said excitedly, "Say we'll be there!" 


	44. Chapter 43: These Days

Welcome to Matthew Conolly, and yes, you're right about ch.18 I just think that Katie would be captain as the oldest player. Sorry to have gotten off the subject Kaye, like I said, wait and see what I have planned, it may be soon.  
  
Disclaimer: (This disclaimer is for this chapter and all the following ones; I'm tired of writing them.) I do not own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise and I'm not making any money off of this story, so there are no grounds for lawsuit. (Did that sound formal enough?)  
  
Chapter 43: These Days  
Waiting for the next Hogsmeade weekend was difficult. The prospect of seeing Kingsley and possibly getting some answers as to how the sword had been stolen was exciting enough to make the time drag along. Harry broke a record by falling asleep immediately in Binn's class and not even stirring until the very last second of the lecture had droned through. This new problem seemed to have drastically cut his attention span.  
  
Hermione was working hard on her classes as usual, but now she seemed to be piling more on her plate than she ever had before. Between homework and studying she was looking up new and useful spells for them to teach at the D.A., she practiced her own knowledge in preparation for the training next term and still working on S.P.E.W.  
  
Ron seemed to have reached a very stressful point in his life, whenever he saw Krum helping Hermione in the library he raged like a thundercloud for hours and classes were as much a struggle for him as they were for Harry. He seemed to find solace in his mounting Quidditch skills and the times when Hermione smiled at him and talked with him, without it turning into a fight.  
  
The weeks passed slowly and the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas came around finally. Harry, Ron and Hermione passed the grumbling Filch and hurried down towards the town amid the torrents of students released by the caretaker.  
  
"Hurry it up you two!" Hermione jostled them, "We'll be late for the meeting."  
"Yeah," Harry said distractedly, his eyes following Dean and Ginny as they headed for Madame Puddifoot's.  
  
"Sure," mumbled Ron, watching Neville and Luna stroll hand in hand with an unusually wistful expression on his face.  
  
Hermione however, would not be denied. "Oh for heaven's sake stop looking at the Quidditch pitch and let's get going!"  
  
Harry allowed himself to be pulled along, noting that, for once, Hermione was the imperceptive one. He was very glad she had missed the truth, and he suspected Ron felt the same.  
  
Snow was falling merrily on the village as they made their way into the Three Broomsticks and found a booth in a private corner. Hermione ordered them butterbeers while Ron looked about curiously. "Where's Kingsley?"  
  
"He'll be here." Hermione said confidently, distributing the bottles.  
  
Not long after the tall, black wizard strode in the front door, surprisingly followed by Tonks, (magenta haired) and another man Harry recognized as the Auror Dawlish, the one Fudge had enlisted to arrest Dumbledore. The two Order members moved towards them, Dawlish took a seat at an inauspicious point where he could watch the whole room.  
  
"Wotcher Harry!" Tonks said happily, winking at Ron and flashing a quick nose change at Hermione. She flopped down in a seat across from Ron. All three called out greetings.  
  
"Hello you three," Kingsley said, glancing around the room before sitting down facing the door. "glad you could be here."  
  
"We thought it would just be you Kingsley." Hermione said excitedly.  
  
"Nobody goes anywhere alone these days, Tonks said, she elbowed Kingsley, "especially not the new Head Auror."  
  
Harry grinned, "Congratulations."  
  
"Thank you." Kingsley replied politely, "now, to business, you were in Dumbeldore's office on the day of the theft." It was not a question.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, "he wanted to talk to me about training."  
  
"Was the sword there when you went in?" Kingsley asked.  
  
"Sorry," Harry said, after a moment of fruitlessly wracking his brains, "I didn't think to look."  
  
"That's all right Harry, I need you to tell me about anyone you saw go in to the office." Harry repeated his tale to Kingsley, who listened in silence, occasionally nodding at critical points.  
  
"Hm, quite a list of possibilities," he said pensively when Harry had finished. "This is going to be difficult."  
  
"Wasn't there any indication of the spells used?" Hermione asked swiftly, "And how did the thief get around the security spells?"  
  
"Well we figured out the second question easily enough," Tonks replied, Kingsley seemed deep in thought, "at some point during the day there was a sort of hiccup in the security spells, they just winked off for a very short amount of time. We have no idea what time though, the spell have been there for so long the area is saturated with their aura, there's no clear mark of when they were lifted."  
  
"Hm, what about the first one?" Ron asked, his curiosity obvious.  
  
Kingsley looked up, "It's the same problem, the office is such a concentration of magic that the whole area is saturated, using spells in there barely leave a trace. We know there was some kind of pre-set spell used, but again we can't know when or what time." He sighed, "As I said, it's going to be difficult. Maybe even impossible."  
  
"Oh don't be such a killjoy Shacklebolt," laughed Tonks, "let's get some lunch eh?" They passed an enjoyable time with the two Aurors, just talking of pleasanter things.  
  
"Well, that was a little informative." Hermione remarked as they made their way back up to Hogwarts.  
  
"I wish I could have been more of a help." Harry said glumly.  
  
"Oh come on mate buck up!" Ron said, in a voice reminiscent of Tonks, "It's almost Christmas, and you're coming with us to Grimmauld place, it's your house now after all!"  
  
Harry definitely felt better at that thought. 


	45. Chapter 44: Been There

And another chapter about the Reaper, sorry Rocky235 I know you don't like hearing about this dirtball, but hey a villain is a villain. Sorry to deprive you of that relaxed mood.  
  
Chapter 44: Been There  
Wisps of smoke wreathed the Reaper's pale face as he leaned against a streetlamp, all light on the street had been extinguished save for the tiny flame of his lighter as he lit his cigarette. Clicking it off, he secreted it in his coat and relaxed against the pole, smoking calmly.  
  
Unlike Darius, who had used them to further a disguise, the Reaper liked his cigarettes, and not because they were addictive, that was a vice for pitiful humans. He liked them because they reminded him of his superiority. He could smoke them for eternity without so much as a cough, while a human was likely to develop lung problems in only a few short years. He liked that feeling; it reminded him of what he was, and why he was better. Besides they were fun to burn people with.  
  
A skulking shadow made its way up to him, materializing into one of his minions, "Master," she bowed, "I am here."  
  
"Excellent," he said, without looking up, "how are you Lyn?"  
  
"Don't like this place," snarled the lesser vampire "stinks of muggle, not a lick of magic anywhere."  
  
"Ah yes, magic does add a little spice to the blood doesn't it?" the Reaper smirked, "just content yourself for tonight with some muggles, they're tasty enough. You know which house we concentrate on?"  
  
"Yes master. I don't like it, doesn't smell right."  
  
"Hm, I wonder if my suspicions were correct." the Reaper mused, "never mind, just wait here Lyn, I've sent Vlad, he'll find us something if it's there."  
  
Lyn hissed quietly, "Gotta be somethin' there master, important kid came from here."  
  
"We shall see," the Reaper admonished, "patience, go have a drink if you like, I'll send Vlad when it's time to go. After we've checked it out I'll come back in the day, perhaps they'll invite me in and we can do some more later. They're much easier to fool than magical folk. But for now, let's just find the security eh?"  
  
She nodded farewell, "Master." He still did not look up as she faded back into the night. He waited patiently; being trapped in your own body for a couple decades by some stupid, angsty do-gooder will teach you patience in a hurry. He smiled to himself, it was good to be back at the helm, Darius had made a right mess of it while he'd been away. The simpering weakling floundering over his guilt had been disgusting to the extreme. The Reaper could almost like Voldemort for getting rid of that filthy pollution, almost.  
  
But that was old news, now he was having fun. As long as Voldemort never tried to meddle like he had last time things would just get better. He grinned as Vlad approached with two of his cohorts, dragging a fourth figure. Now, life was good.  
  
"Just one?" the Reaper asked the scarred vampire.  
  
"It would seem so master; apparently they did not foresee our presence at this time." He replied.  
  
"A mistake on their part," the Reaper crouched in front of the prisoner, "now who do we have here? Which one of Dumbledore's knights have we caught?" he lifted the captive's chin.  
  
The woman scowled at him, the vampire began laughing. "Oh, well well well, Emmeline Vance is it? I don't believe we've ever met."  
Emmeline snorted without a trace of fear, "I met the man you stole that body from! I'd rather it was him than you!"  
  
"Yes, he liked you too." the Reaper said, Emmeline looked shocked for a moment, then the murderous glare returned. The Reaper took a long pull on his cigarette thoughtfully, "I'm going to have to figure out a special fate for you, what do you think?"  
  
The witch spat at him viciously, "Go to hell."  
  
The vampire sneered, "Been there, didn't like it, decided I wanted my body back." He chuckled, "Keep her over at the place across the street," he fixed his minions with a stern gaze, "but no biting understand? Kindly tell Lyn that too."  
  
He fixed the house in front of him with an evil grin, 'Now, time for some lessons." He walked off, his black coat flapping behind him. 


	46. Chapter 45: Home for Christmas

One more chapter of suspense building before I break the news, enjoy.  
  
Chapter 45: Home for Christmas  
The weeks until break passed in a whirl of work, Harry couldn't remember a time when he had been so busy. The teachers, particularly Snape and McGonagall, piled on extra homework and exams in an apparent deluge of new spells, potions and charms, each with their own accompanying essays and difficulties.  
By the end of it Harry's brain hurt and Ron seemed constantly on edge, even Hermione looked frazzled and burnt out, which confirmed for Harry that he had just been through one of his academically toughest times at Hogwarts.  
"Why all this work now?" Ron asked grumpily, floundering through an immense pile of notes he had collected.  
"Maybe they want a smooth next term," Harry theorized, up to his elbows in transfigured items. "a nice easy work up to exams."  
"Maybe," Ron said hopefully, tripping over Hermione's bag and flinging paper in all directions.  
It was with a grateful heart that Harry packed his trunk and hurried down to the Hogwarts express with Ron and Hermione. It wasn't until they had found a compartment that he saw Ginny sitting there and realized he hadn't had any spare time to think about her lately.  
They had talked of course, it was unavoidable when they both played on the Quidditch team and shared the same common room. They even had some good laughs with Ron, Hermione and Neville. But every time he saw her Harry felt a brooding tension, like a very heavy weight was poised above his head, waiting to fall and crush him. That sense never seemed to leave him; he just couldn't shake it off.  
Ginny for her part seemed perfectly willing to talk to Harry, but like before she was never alone during their time together, always it was in public areas surrounded by friends. Harry wondered if this was some kind of weird defense mechanism, or if she somehow managed to shrewdly manage both of their schedules to engineer those situations. Women really were a marvel, but one he found completely beyond his understanding.  
Understanding aside, he was as grateful for the space. His head was such a mess from Quidditch, school, the theft and Ginny he needed time to get his thoughts in order again. At this point his mental patterns were functioning like a hurricane rather than a calm day.  
"Well, you know it's been six years and this is the first time I've done this." He said to the compartment at large. He grinned.  
"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked, laughing.  
Staring out the window Harry smiled again, "It's the first time I've had a place to go." He said quietly. There was silence in the compartment for a long moment as his friends beamed at him.  
The train ride passed calmly, Harry lost three games of chess to Ron despite advice from Hermione, Neville, Luna, Seamus and Parvati all in passing. Ginny sat quietly observing the game, but didn't offer any help. Harry swore he could feel her eyes on him multiple times, but he never managed to catch her doing it, every time he looked up she seemed immersed in her Quibbler.  
Getting off the train, Harry saw Malfoy disappear through the gates with someone he took to be a chauffeur. He still ignored Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy, leaving with a black scowl on his face. Harry shook his head, what a thoroughly unpleasant looking group.  
Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the twins were waiting to meet them. "Hello everyone!" Mrs. Weasley cried, giving out her usual enthusiastic hugs and kisses. Ron pulled away quickly when Fred and George began mockingly fawning over him as though he were a cute puppy.  
"Isn't he sweet?" George remarked, grinning as Ron quickly began a conversation with Lupin while blushing scarlet. Harry laughed, then nearly choked as Fred thrust a parchment in his face, practically ramming it down his throat with the strength of his enthusiasm.  
"What's this?" Harry asked, undoing the seal which marked it as a notice from Gingotts.  
George smirked while Fred rolled his eyes, "It's an eviction notice, we decided to buy out Grimmalud Place. What do you think it is? It's the first return on your investment."  
Harry opened it to see that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had made a deposit of a little more than a thousand galleons into his account. He looked up incredulously, "It's taking off already?"  
George nodded vigorously, "An instant hit wherever we go!"  
"It seems people," said Fred.  
"Not just students," said George.  
"All over the world,"  
"Buy our products with equal enthusiasm."  
"We've started a mail order service so we can sell all over the world, not just where our shops are." Finished Fred, he straightened his dragon skin jacket, "Not too shabby for two entrepreneurs fresh out of school." Harry had to agree, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was a smashing success.  
Lupin clapped Harry on the shoulder, "How are you doing Harry?"  
"Just fine Remus, thanks for your letters." Harry grinned at him, "You'll be staying for Christmas I hope."  
Lupin smiled, "Of course I will, may I bring a guest?"  
"Sure, the more the merrier!" Harry said happily, absently gathering his stuff.  
Harry was quite leery of driving back to Grimmauld Place with Mr. Weasley, who any sane person never would have let near a car. He rather felt that the spells that allowed the car to fit into small spaces despite the enlarged interior and avoid traffic were not merely convenient, but a necessary addition.  
They all arrived safely at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, piling the four students' things out of the car was a chore, but soon enough Harry and Ron were installed in their old room, next to Ginny and Hermione, who was staying a few days before traveling to her parents' house.  
"Blimey it's good to be on break." Ron said, stretching his tall, lanky frame out on his bed. "I was almost driven barmy by all that."  
Harry didn't quite know what "all that" referred to, but he was pretty sure that Ron was talking about more than their schoolwork. He stared out the window, absently stroking Hedwig as she perched on the sill.  
"You know mate," Ron said quietly, "staring at the ceiling, "I've got a question for you."  
"Fire away." Harry assented, turning slightly to look at his friend. "It's a muggle expression." He said when Ron looked at him blankly, "Go ahead."  
"Do you think," Ron began tentatively, and then fell silent.  
Harry waited a moment and then cocked an eyebrow, "Yes?"  
"Do you think that at this age," Ron paused, he seemed quite reluctant to get to the point, "We can feel certain things." He paused again.  
"What kind of things?" Harry asked.  
"Things for people, er or a person," Ron began again, not looking at Harry.  
Harry was about to ask him to clarify when he was interrupted by a screech from Hedwig. Ron sat bolt upright and Harry whirled around. The snowy owl was flapping her wings madly, and screeching at something outside the window.  
"What's she going on about?" Ron yelled over the din as Pigwidgeon joined in with enthusiasm. Harry hurried to the window and looked out.  
He saw a black shape flying toward the house on multiple wings, but the sinking sun behind it obscured its form. "Looks like some owls carrying something," he theorized, "can't tell what though. Let's go see."  
They were almost to the door when they heard the cawing of the ravens. 


	47. Chapter 46: Evil Deeds

Here it is, the culmination of another plot!  
  
Chapter 46: Evil Deeds  
For a long moment everything was still as the two boys stared at each other. Harry and Ron dashed down the stairs at top speed. "Remus!" Harry shouted, "Out front!" Ron yelled for his parents as they barreled into the front hall, nearly running down a panicking Nit. Hermione and Ginny hurried out after them shouting questions.  
Lupin came up the stairs from the kitchen with his wand out and ready. He was closely followed by the rest of the present Weasleys. Harry ignored their inquiries and dashed out the door onto the front lawn. "Here!" he snarled to himself, "How did they get here? Nobody can find this place, how did he?" The object was now in plain sight.  
Two black ravens flapped ponderously toward the house, cawing loudly. Between them they carried a long thin package wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine, it was flat and oblong. Harry watched as the messengers approached.  
"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked as the others arrived behind him, she shaded her eyes looking in confusion at the horror on the faces of Hermione and Ginny as they saw the birds.  
Lupin frowned, his wand raised, "Messengers," he said quietly, "let them come." He pushed aside Mr. Weasleys and the twins' wands.  
"But," protested Mr. Weasley.  
"It's probably not dangerous," Lupin cautioned him, "it's not his style, it's probably something he wants us to see. But we won't know what he's doing if you hit them, we need to know." He turned to watch.  
Harry angrily lowered his own wand, accepting what Lupin had said. He stared upward with the rest as the ravens swooped down towards him. As they came down their cawing rose to a raucous pitch. Harry winced as they flew at him.  
  
He felt the breeze as they passed him.  
  
Turning he watched the birds swoop at the main group and drop their burden in front of one of them. Hurrying forward he saw the ravens turn and fly hard in the opposite direction, cawing triumphantly. Pushing his way past Lupin he saw who the recipient was.  
Hermione stared at the object that had somehow landed upright in front of her. Everyone was hushed as they waited. Lupin walked forward slowly, "Er should I?" he began kindly. But he didn't get to finish his offer, the package unwrapped of its own accord, Harry could see canvas with thin wood backing, seemingly nothing out of the ordinary.  
But, whatever Hermione saw was far from harmless. Immediately she went white as a sheet, all the color drained from her face. She began shaking uncontrollably, a long keening wail of pure terror escaped her as she fell to her knees.  
"Hermione!" everyone was shouting at once, Harry ran forward with Ron. Ron immediately grabbed her by the shoulders tightly, "What's wrong? What is it?" his eyes fell on the package and he stopped. Harry ran up and looked at the other side of it. His eyes widened, a shock ran through his entire body. Now he knew.  
It was a painting, very skillfully done; it had obviously taken a significant amount of time to complete. Normally it wouldn't have been a big deal, but what the picture depicted was the source of his shock. It depicted a married couple sleeping peacefully in a large bed. Harry had seen them before at the train station and in Diagon Alley, Hermione's parents; the painting artfully depicted their relaxed faces. Harry's eyes were drawn to the bottom of the painting. There was a black and silver scythe leaning against the bedpost.  
Everyone had gotten a good look at it now, horror and revulsion shown on every face, for a long second no one moved. Lupin spun around to Fred and George, "Go, find Alastor! Tell him to get there right now! He knows where it is, you don't so don't follow him, get into contact with Dumbledore, let him know immediately!" The twins were gone in an instant, apparating out with their trademark loud crack.  
Lupin whirled to Mr. Weasley, "Get to the Ministry and pull the nearest Aurors, that new muggle protection act you got passed should help. Have them lock down the neighborhood!" Mr. Weasley nodded and was gone. Mrs. Weasley was hurrying to Hermione when Lupin grabbed her shoulder, "Find something we can use as a Portkey, we'll go now to the Grangers'." She nodded, her face ashen, and hurried into the house.  
Ron meanwhile was holding onto Hermione, supporting her as she crumbled. She was sobbing uncontrollably into his neck. Ginny, her face vengeful, drew her wand and shouted; "Evanesco!" the painting disappeared. Harry hurried to help Ron with Hermione, but the two were locked so closely together that he felt he wasn't needed.  
Mrs. Weasley came barreling out the door with a pot clasped in her hand, "Quickly!" she shouted, "Grab onto it!" They hurriedly assembled and seized the portkey, with the familiar jerk they were off.  
When the whirlwind trip subsided, Harry found himself in a rural neighborhood outside of London. The Granger house was large and spacious, of the kind appropriate for successful dentists. The surrounding neighborhood was much nicer than Privet Drive in Harry's opinion, each house brightly painted in a variety of colors, each house unique, it was much more friendly.  
Moody appeared mere seconds after they did, his magical eye rolling in his socket. "Came as fast as I could!" he wheezed to Lupin, "Anyone been inside yet?" Lupin shook his head, "Right then," the grizzled old Auror growled, "you and me will go, dammit girl!" he broke off to yell at Hermione.  
She was already frantically running for the house, Ron shouted and took off after her. Mrs. Weasley was apparently busy cloaking the scene, much as Lupin had done at the train platform. Lupin himself was sprinting to get to the house before Hermione and Moody followed as swiftly as possible, cursing his wooden leg.  
Harry ran for the Granger's front door, dimly aware of Ginny running alongside of him. All he could think about was what they might find within. He was determined to spare Hermione from whatever it might be, they had to stop her, who knew if the vampire was still there? He ran as fast as he could as Hermione stumbled up to the porch screaming for her parents, Ron was right behind her.  
He caught her just before the door, she screamed still and fought him with all her might. Everyone rushed forward to help him, only to skid to a stop a moment later.  
Mr. and Mrs. Granger were standing in the now open doorway, looking quite shocked at their hysterical daughter and the mob of wizards charging their front door. Both looked completely fine. For a long moment no one moved, then Hermione flung herself at them absolutely bawling, "Mum! Dad! You're all right, thank goodness! Oh, thank goodness!"  
Her parents still looked perplexed, but Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were already hurrying up, making shooing motions to get them back into the house. "Er, would you all like a spot of tea?" Mr. Granger asked vaguely, completely mystified. They began filing through the doorway.  
Ron looked at Harry, both breathing hard. "Blimey mate, thank Merlin they're okay!" he said with feeling. Harry nodded, completely winded. Lupin and Moody walked up to them.  
"It was a good thing we got here so fast." Lupin remarked, putting away his wand. "Those birds must have gotten Grimmauld place faster than we thought."  
"Or," Moody said slowly, "he was expecting her to still be at Hogwarts, that would have given him an extra two days at least to do what he wanted." Harry didn't have to think about who they were discussing. Ron shuddered at the thought of the vampire's presence so near Hermione's parents.  
"How did he know?" Lupin asked, "Didn't we have a watch here?"  
"Right," Moody said, as Sturgis Podmore apparated in and hurried up to them. "Just you?" Moody demanded.  
"Fudge is being querulous," Stugis spat in contempt, "Arthur's working on him though, he sent me ahead. Did you get him?"  
"Not here," Moody remarked, "he didn't do anything yet. But the watch is gone, who was on duty here that time."  
Sturgis swallowed, "Emmeline."  
Lupin shook his head sadly, "Any chance?" he asked Moody.  
The old Auror started to shake his head, then froze, his magical eye spun wildly to look at the house across the street. He squinted for a long moment, then seized Stugis' arm, "Get back to them!" he ordered hoarsely, "To hell with Fudge! Grab every Auror you can and get back here immediately, tell them to come prepared for a fight, GO!" Sturgis stared for a moment then apparated.  
Moody's eye squinted again, "No time now!" he growled, "You three, with me now!" he began hurrying towards the house. Lupin, Harry and Ron ran after him.  
"What's going on?!" Ron demanded hurrying to catch up.  
"Vamps in there," Moody replied shortly, "he'll kill her if we don't get there right now! Don't ask questions boy! I just hope you're as well prepared as Dmubledore says you are!"  
Ron and Harry exchanged glances as they dashed up to the house.  
  
Well, I must pat myself on the back for that masterful bit of deception. I had all of you convinced that it was the Dursley's. Sorry everyone, nobody got it right, I did that on purpose though. I feel it is rather like J.K.R. to deceive us into believing the complete wrong thing, this is just a tribute to that. 


	48. Chapter 47: Stakes and Spells

Welcome to my three new reviewers Corrie, Angie and aschowin, I'm glad you've decided to read. You're sharp if you figured me out Angie, it's nice to know I didn't fool everyone.  
  
Chapter 47: Stakes and Spells  
The four of them ran towards the nondescript house and up to the front door. Lupin and Moody stood on either side of it while Harry and Ron waited a few feet back. For a long second nobody moved as Moody's eye swept the doorframe. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Harry, Moody raised his wand and the door simply vanished.  
Lupin waved a hand for Harry and Ron to still stay back, then he reached into his robes and pulled out what looked like a rememberall, a small glass ornament with red swirling inside it. "Back!" he roared, and hurled it through the open doorway like a grenade. Harry and Ron hit the dirt as a series of red flashes lit up the interior of the house.  
"What was that?" Ron started to ask, but stopped when they saw a few stray stunners shoot back out the door and dissipate. From the magnitude of the flash Harry guessed there must have been at least a few dozen stunners fired, evidently the ornament was some kind of weapon devised by the Order.  
"In now!" Moody roared, Harry and Ron scrambled up and hurried after them as they passed through the doorway and into the house. Harry stood in a line with the other three on the threshold. Facing them, showing no ill effects from the stunners was a tall, scarred vampire. The house was shadowed and in shambles, Harry saw two staircases, one leading down, and one up. The vampire stood in front of the lower staircase, gazing at them nonchalantly, as though they were something unappetizing that had just appeared in his food.  
"Forgot about that damnable eye," the vampire hissed, taking a step forward, "guess we do this here then," an evil smile twisted his features, his eyes fixed on Moody "a pleasure to challenge you."  
Moody stood forward, placing himself opposite his opponent, "I've met a hundred like you," he growled, raising his wand, "this is nothing special."  
The vampire let out an earsplitting screech that nearly deafened Harry and charged directly at Moody. Quite suddenly there were more vampires, seemingly appearing out of the shadows and rushing from all sides. Harry counted four attackers before they were on top of him.  
He ducked a swinging fist and fell backwards as the snarling vampire leapt after him. He vaguely saw Lupin send a needle-like white shot from his wand that pierced the heart of one vampire, destroying it in a cloud of dust. Harry desperately tried to think of a spell that he could use as his assailant tore a huge furrow in the wall with her bare hands in an attempt to smash him.  
"To his left he heard Ron bellow, "Reducto!" and the sound of a bone breaking as the curse made contact. Harry barely twisted away from another blow and shouted, "Inflammare!" a jet of fire shot from his wand and caught the vampire's leg, but it showed no signs of pain, leaping forward almost immediately. Harry choked as it seized his throat in an iron grip and squeezed.  
He gasped for air, seeing black spots. The vampire licked its lips and began bringing its fangs down to his neck, but it never got there. Harry shoved his wand down its open mouth and gasped the fire spell again. His assailant shrieked and fell back, writhing on the floor for a moment before dissolving into fiery cinders.  
Holding his neck, Harry stumbled up in time to see Lupin dispatch his other opponent in the same manner he had dealt with the first. Harry resolved to learn that spell immediately. Ron still fought with his, using jets of sparks to hold it off; the vampire was having trouble holding on to him on account of Ron's reductor curse breaking its arm.  
As Harry stumbled forward to help, but before he got there Ron blasted the wall behind it with another reductor curse, large wood chips and splinters flew in all directions, several hit the vampire right over its heart. The monster was thrown back into the wall and dissipated.  
Harry turned, still massaging his neck; Moody was grappling with the tall vampire, his wand flashing and spinning. His opponent was advancing with knives in each hand, slashing and whirling so quickly he was almost a blur. Lupin was circling the fight, looking for an opening, his wand ready. Ron and Harry regrouped towards the front of the room.  
The vampire ducked Moody's wand, lashing out with a booted foot he tripped Lupin neatly. With a sudden change in tack he leapt high into the air over the fallen werewolf, it took Harry a second to realize the vampire was coming directly at him, a knife aimed at his head. He jerked backwards, knowing in an instant that he wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. Moody flung up an arm, palm outward, there was a click and a long wooden stake flew out of the sleeve of his robe. The blade of the knife stopped inches from Harry's head and fell to the floor as the hand holding it crumbled into dust.  
Moody pulled Lupin to his feet, all four of them were breathing heavily. Moody's eye regarded Harry critically, "Never relax boy, you never know when the situation might change."  
"Yes sir." Harry said, subdued, still shocked by the pitched battle.  
Moody turned and motioned for them to follow him down the stairs; they advanced cautiously, Harry and Ron behind the older, more experienced Order members. They encountered no more vampires until they reached the basement. A long concrete room cleared of all furniture greeted them. The Reaper stood in the center of the room, behind him Emmeline Vance was tied by her wrists to a pipe protruding from the ceiling.  
"Alastor!" the vampire greeted Moody like a long lost friend. "Taking the younger generation out for a romp?" He winked cheerily at Harry and Ron; Harry felt a white hot spark of rage. "Quite an initiation I must say."  
Moody said nothing, simply produced his stake and wand and advanced. The Reaper grinned and produced his scythe, in one fluid movement he waved it in front of him. "Down!" shouted Lupin, flinging himself sideways as a shockwave burst from the blade. Harry flung himself to the left, cannoned into Ron and bore him down to the floor with him. He felt the wave pass over them and rolled over.  
Moody hadn't been able to duck on account of his wooden leg, he braced his wand in front of him, cast a shield spell, and let the shockwave bear him backwards. But when he hit the far wall he seemed to sink in rather than bounce off, rendering him immobile. "A trap!" hissed Ron. Harry shivered, the Reaper had tried to get them all to hit that wall, if he had succeeded they would have been at his mercy. Moody was unable to move, halfway into the wall, his arms and legs almost completely engulfed. He was cursing roundly, trying to position his wand to get himself out.  
Lupin just stood up and calmly retrieved the stake from where Moody had dropped it and took his place opposite the Reaper. "Ah, monster to monster," laughed the vampire, grinning, "I was just saving this for you." He produced a spike from his coat made of pure silver. Raising his scythe he set himself in a combat stance, beckoning, "I have one question, why defend a society that hates you?"  
Lupin did not answer, but raised his wand, said "Stay back boys." and moved in.  
"Aww," the Reaper said in a mocking voice, "my poor heart bleeds," his eyes turned yellow, "and yours is going to as well." 


	49. Chapter 48: Man and Monster

All right Kaye, I'm sorry for the continued misunderstandings, Moody vanished the door, not the actual doorway, that is what they went through, I hope that clears that up. Thanks so much for those excellent reviews, they inspire me to keep this up! Thank you all!  
  
Chapter 48: Man and Monster  
As the two combatants closed in on each other Ron looked about wildly, "What do we do?" he asked Harry.  
Harry looked at Lupin, he wanted to help, but Lupin had explicitly told him to stay back. Harry was afraid he might get in the way too, Remus was a competent man Harry would just have to trust him. "Help him!" he indicated the struggling Moody, "Get him out any way you can!"  
He pushed Ron towards the trapped Auror, just as the Reaper leapt forward and began slashing at Lupin with the spike, who evaded the attacks skillfully, casting spells with one hand while keeping the other hand poised to drive the stake. The Reaper blocked the spells with his scythe, advancing aggressively.  
Harry dashed around them and sprinted to where Emmeline was imprisoned. He skidded to a halt in front of her; she was unconscious but appeared generally okay. He tried to reach the knot on her bonds, but it was too high. He turned, wondering if he could summon the help of his taller best friend.  
Ron however had managed to free one of Moody's arms through judicious use of reductor curses and vanishing spells. The grizzled Auror could now use his own wand and was working on his other arm. Moody appeared to be telling Ron to go help Harry, Harry couldn't hear through the shouts of the fighters and the whistles and bangs of spells going off. Whatever Moody had told him, Ron turned and began running toward Harry.  
  
He never got there.  
  
The Reaper, taking notice of outside events, spun away from Lupin with incredible agility and delivered a sharp blow to Ron's head with the scythe as he ran past, fortunately the angle was wrong and only the handle made contact. Ron dropped like a stone and lay still as the Reaper reengaged Lupin.  
"Ron!" Harry shouted, he started to run to him.  
"Harry, stay back I said!" roared Lupin, sending another curse at the vampire.  
Harry stopped, wavered, then ran back to Emmeline, drawing his wand. Barely able to aim through the tears of rage in his eyes he blasted the bonds and nearly had the breath knocked out of him as her unconscious form fell on him. He lowered her to the floor, trying to figure out what to do next, he couldn't possibly carry her out, he needed more muscle.  
He turned around just in time to see the Reaper lunge forward and leave an ugly slash along Lupin's chest with the silver spike. Lupin fell backwards, but it was the Reaper who snarled in pain. He twisted and Harry saw Lupin had buried the stake in the vampire's shoulder.  
The Reaper stumbled, dropping his scythe he fell to one knee while hauling the stake out. Harry saw some greenish liquid drip from the wood as the vampire dropped the stake to the floor. "Damn," hissed the Reaper, "garlic juice, should have known that old bastard would do that." He glared over at Moody, he seemed unable to move very well, his movements slightly jerky and uncoordinated from pain.  
Seeing the vampire weakened Harry pulled his wand and advanced. The Reaper looked up as he approached and laughed; "Heh, well I sent you all for a real trip didn't I?" he laughed and choked.  
Harry glared; there was one question he had to ask this monster before he lit him on fire. "Why them?"  
The Reaper cocked an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"  
Harry was shaking with anger now his wand aimed at the vampire's heart, "Hermione, Neville, Percy, why them?! Why them and not me?!"  
The Reaper laughed and Harry nearly dropped him right there but he held back. The Reaper chuckled to himself for another moment then looked at Harry in amusement, "You don't get it do you?" he asked, grinning manically, "It's not all about you, not for me." He seemed immensely tickled, "You know as fascinating as this conversation is, I've got some garlic to get out of my system." He moved slightly and Harry saw he had his hand on his scythe. The vampire grinned at him, "Ta." He apparated out with a whisper of displaced air.  
Harry cursed at the top of his lungs, but Moody's voice interrupted him, "Never mind that boy!" Get over here now!" The Auror was still tethered to the wall by his leg, he was beckoning Harry hurriedly.  
Harry came up, expecting him to ask for help in getting himself free. However, Moody instead produced a small vial filled with black liquid from his robes. "Get this on his wound now!" he indicated Lupin, who was lying on the floor moving weakly. Harry stared at the vial, "What?"  
"Silver dammit!" Moody swore, tugging at his leg, "He got cut by silver, get that stuff on him now or he'll die!"  
Harry didn't ask any more questions, he dashed over to Lupin, uncorked the vial and poured the potion onto the cut. Lupin lay still for a long moment and then slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, "Thank you Harry." he said breathlessly, he shook his head aimlessly for a moment then stood up, apparently in no danger. He went over to help Moody. Harry turned to Ron, who groaned and rolled over.  
"How're you feeling mate?" Harry asked, pulling Ron t his feet.  
Ron rubbed his head, "I've felt a lot better at given times." He looked around at the unconscious Emmeline, Lupin pulling Moody from the wall and the bloody stake lying on the floor.  
"I'd say this was a really bad day." He remarked as Aurors swarmed into the building, Mr. Weasley in the lead, closely followed by Fred and George.  
  
* * *  
They were greeted at the door of Hermione's house by an enraged Mrs. Weasley and a fretful Ginny. "You dirty great fools!" Mrs. Weasley admonished them, while alternating between hugging Harry and Ron and checking over Lupin. "Why on earth didn't you call me?! What am I going to do with you?!"  
"We should have brought her," Ron muttered to Harry, "she would've sent those vampires packing in a hurry."  
Harry stifled laughter, picturing the Reaper cowering before Mrs. Weasley, surprisingly it didn't seem all that implausible to him. He and Ron were grinning in amusement when he caught the eye of Ginny. She was looking at them gratefully.  
Seeing his gaze she bit her lip and said quietly, "Glad you're all okay." Seconds later she was gone. Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged.  
They found Hermione in the sitting room; she had refused to let her parents out of her sight since finding them alive and well, even when she had found Harry and Ron to be missing. She still seemed on the verge of a breakdown, the events had really shaken her up. Her parents looked bemused at the news that a legendary vampire had decided to take an interest in them. Harry hadn't known what to expect, but their reaction seemed almost apathetic, he knew they must have found all of this incredibly strange.  
"I'm still not sure it's safe here," Mr. Weasley announced to the room at large, he had organized a task force of Aurors to police the area and gather clues. "I don't think he'll be back, but best not to take chances. Perhaps there's some other place you can stay?" he asked the Grangers.  
They looked at a loss; Harry thought for a moment, and then stepped forward. "They can come back to Grimmauld Place with us." he stated firmly, "There's more than enough room, and after all, it's Christmas."  
The Weasley's heartily endorsed his suggestion, especially Mr. Weasley. The Gangers thanked him for his generosity, which Harry found thoroughly uncomfortable, and agreed to stay at Grimmauld Place. After detailing the Aurors to continue their search Mr. Weasley took them all away from what was now an unsafe home. 


	50. Chapter 49: Christmas

Great new reviews and exceptionally high praise, especially from Rocky235 and Angie, thank you so much for your encouragement.  
  
Chapter 49: Christmas  
Despite its terrible beginning that Christmas was one of the best Harry had ever had. He was sure the old Black family house had never seen such light and happiness. He liked to think about how good Sirius would have felt knowing that people were enjoying themselves so much in a house that had once been such a misery.  
Mr. Weasley was so happy he was walking on sunshine, the Auror response to the attack on the Grangers had been a triumph of his muggle protection act and he had even overridden the protests of the Minister of Magic to pull it off. Harry felt that Fudge's prospects for remaining in office for much longer looked bleak. Also, Mr. Granger turned out to be as fascinated with the magical world as Mr. Weasley was with the muggle one, they could regularly be found trading stories and tinkering in the makeshift workshop Mr. Weasley had set up in the basement.  
Mrs. Granger seemed quite overwhelmed by the shock of the magical world, she spent her time sitting quietly, usually not far from her husband, timid as a fawn, Harry figured Hermione must have inherited her voracious thirst for knowledge from her father, and her perceptiveness from her mother.  
Hermione had received quite a nasty shock from the Reaper's callous painting and his proximity to her parents, as Ron had said it was a mercy they hadn't been killed. The added stress that Harry, Ron and Lupin had been involved in a deadly battle while she had been inside with her parents did not help.  
Although Harry and Ron convinced her she shouldn't feel guilty about being more concerned about her parents at the time, she still felt guilty about not being there, especially after hearing about the close calls all of them had experienced. Ron's presence seemed to help, Harry often found them sitting peacefully while she read and he watched over her like a hawk, Harry reflected that if something was going to happen with them now would be a good time. But the time passed without a hint of anything.  
Their apparent contentedness left Harry with plenty of time to reflect on his own problems and sort out his jumbled thoughts. Giny hadn't talked much to him during their time at Grimmauld Place, she was always flying out back, chatting with Hermione, or even helping Nit with the chores. Although the nervous house elf protested at first, Ginny had persisted until Nit had accepted her presence. The little elf appreciated her kindness so much that she had taken to following Ginny around like a green and red puppy, chattering inanely about little things.  
Harry had thought long and hard about his dilemma with Ginny. He had accepted that he liked her; he liked her quite a bit. However, acting on his feelings seemed a dubious prospect, Ginny had been decidedly reserved since that night in the common room and Harry was afraid to upset the delicate balance he had already achieved with her. Coupled with the dilemma of Dean and how he fit into the picture, the barriers in harry's way seemed insurmountable. Every time he convinced himself that he could tell her, and that he could make it work somehow he would see her, she would flash him a small smile and everything would come crashing down in a heap again. While he hadn't really made any progress, Harry felt a lot less confused.  
Emmeline was none the worse for wear as a result of her capture, apparently the Reaper had been saving her for something particularly nefarious and hadn't wanted her hurt until then. St. Mungo's had released her after only slight treatment and she showed up at Grimmauld Place the next day looking shaken, but okay.  
The potion he had given Lupin, Harry later found out, was only temporary treatment for the deadly silver, several more doses of a different solution were required. The potion sapped his energy, so Lupin spent a while in a wheelchair, however the guest he had spoken of earlier had kept him in good company and care, Nymphadora Tonks, much to the delight of Hermione and Ginny.  
The surrounding friends and quiet atmosphere combined to make the season one to remember, Percy, Bill, the twins and Charlie all arrived a few days before Christmas. The family was finally reconciled after Percy's secession almost a year and a half ago. Fred and George kept things stirred up, slipping canary creams into every unattended plate, setting off fireworks, and generally wreaking their usual havoc.  
Harry awoke on Christmas morning to the usual large pile of presents at the foot of his bed. Ron and he immediately called the girls and set into them with gusto. Harry received a replacement unlocking penknife from Ron, silver with a black pawprint on it. Harry had shaken his head at this; Hermione must have rubbed off on him.  
Hermione herself had given him a handsome set of leather journals, Harry wasn't sure he was ready to start his memoirs just yet, but he appreciated the gesture. Mrs. Weasley had made her usual package of baked goods, with another sweater. Lupin had found a miniature foe glass Harry could keep on a bedside table, practical and thoughtful, just like Lupin himself.  
Harry had just finished unwrapping these gifts amid the happy shouts of his friends when the rest of the Weasleys piled into the room with great shouts of "Happy Christmas!" Bill, Charlie and Percy had conspired to pilfer a Curse Breaker's manual from Gringott's filled with all sorts of useful spells and information, Harry was quite surprised Percy had agreed to it. Fred and George presented him with a huge box of their finest products, with a few prototypes slipped in.  
After the general hubbub of present opening they all trooped downstairs to meet the Grangers, Lupin and Tonks for a huge feast in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley, aided by Mrs. Granger, had really outdone herself; Harry thought the food could have easily fed the entire Gryffindor house. Despite the festivities he couldn't help but feel a slight pang, there had been no gift from Ginny.  
He could still remember the time in Diagon Alley he had found the obscure jewelry shop in a far flung corner, finding a pendant of a golden broom, soaring with a laughing girl riding it. It had seemed perfect and had immediately reminded him of her, he had bought it and wrapped it with her other presents, but hadn't seen her open it. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.  
The day was used up in a wild game of Quidditch in the back yard with all the Weasley brothers, Ginny and Harry. They had played until the cold forced them inside, and then exploding snap and gobstones with everyone had kept the cheer. Singing carols and mugs of hot cocoa finished the day off with a bang as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fireworks exploded outside in a brilliant display, hidden from muggle eyes of course.  
Harry went up to bed with Ron, feeling very good indeed. As they climbed into bed Harry accidentally bumped against something hard in his bedsheets. Pulling it out and examining it he found a small, oblong package, he took off the note.  
  
Harry,  
I was going to give this to you this morning, but it just didn't seem fitting somehow, Lupin helped me put it together, Enjoy.  
  
Your friend,  
  
Ginny  
  
Opening the package Harry's jaw dropped; in it was black framed painting of Sirius standing before the fireplace downstairs. It was real enough to be a photograph, even as he watched, the rendering of his Godfather grinned at him and gave a little wave. Setting the painting on his bedside table Harry grinned happily, chuckling to himself while trying to hold back the tears.  
"What's up mate?" Ron asked sleepily from his bed.  
"Nothing," Harry told him, gazing at the gift, "nothing," He seemed to sing inside, he swore to himself then and there that he would find a way to let that girl know how he felt about her. 


	51. Chapter 50: Returning

Welcome Windcall! I'm glad you're enjoying my work. It's excellent to see that mrs-osbornes-class is still reading, I thought I'd lost you there a while back. Here's another light chapter for you Rocky235, you won't have any problems with this one.  
  
Chapter 50: Returning  
The break ended all too soon, Harry found himself packing up his things into his trunk and putting Hedwig into her cage while Mrs. Weasley hollered at them to get a move on. He and Ron hauled their stuff out of the bedroom and hurried down the stairs, their trunks clunking along behind them.  
Lupin, Tonks and the Weasleys, minus Bill and Charlie, were waiting in front of the door, "You're not going that way boys," Mr. Weasley blocked the way to the door.  
"What? Why?" asked Harry, looking around.  
"We haven't got enough guards at present to ensure security on the way to the train platform," Lupin said, still looking fatigued from his last potion dosage of the treatment, he was cured after almost three weeks. "You're going directly back to Hogwarts by Floo powder."  
They hauled their trunks downstairs into the kitchen and sat down to wait for the girls. Harry, for lack of anything better to do, stared up at the ceiling and whistled tunelessly while Ron fidgeted. "What is it about girls that makes them take forever?" he asked, absently shoving his trunk towards the fireplace with his foot.  
"Who knows?" Harry said quietly, losing his train of thought, which hadn't been that focused anyway. He was just thinking idly of a certain red-headed girl and wondering how on earth he was going to go forward with his feelings. The very thought scared and confused him; he really had no idea how to go about it.  
Hermione and Ginny arrived shortly after looking slightly rushed coming in ahead of an annoyed Mrs. Weasley. Nit pattered in from the larder, straightening her uniform. The rest came in, Lupin walked over to the fireplace and threw in some Floo powder, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" he shouted, then beckoned the other Order members, all drew out the same red feathers that Harry had seen Lupin use. Even Percy had one; it seemed he had joined the Order as well.  
"One, two, three!" Lupin said, and all of them plunged their feathers into the green flames, seemingly stirring red into the green.  
"Er, what are those?" asked Hermione, looking at them curiously.  
"Dumbledore made them," Tonks replied, putting hers away, "we've been using them to secure the Floo Network."  
"They have the same type of magic Fawkes uses to teleport Dumbledore around," Lupin explained, "they changed the Floo flames enough that you still get where you're going, but outside sources can only monitor where you come out and where you started at, they can't catch you in transit."  
"That's incredible!" Ron said, before being engulfed by his mother in a hug. Hermione bid her parents goodbye, Harry saw she looked a little stiff about it. Dumbledore had sent an owl to Lupin saying he intended to wipe the memories of the Grangers and return them to their home under the protection of the Order. Hermione had bristled at this and had at first refused to allow the memory charms, but Lupin had explained it was better this way, they would only remember a nice quiet break with Hermione. He said their new knowledge of Headquarters made them targets for Voldemort and they were safer without those memories. Hermione had finally acquiesced; though she made it clear she didn't like it. Her parents would be going home tomorrow without any memory of the encounters of Christmas break.  
Harry allowed himself to be hugged by Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley. "Goodbye dear, have a good term, we'll see you soon." She nearly squeezed the life out of him, along with her husband.  
While Lupin gave Harry a firm handshake, Tonks sneaked up behind him for a backslapping hug that was almost as forceful as Mrs. Weasley's. "See ya Harry!" she said, flashing different hair colors at him. Percy shook his hand warmly and clapped him on the back.  
Fred and George moved up to him surreptitiously while Mrs. Weasley was occupied with Ginny and Hermione. "Here Harry mate, we've got something for you." Fred whispered, winking at him.  
"New merchandise?" Harry asked them apprehensively.  
"Well I suppose you could say that." George grinned and handed him a small sack.  
Curious, Harry looked inside; it was filled with small glass ornaments like rememberalls. He looked up at the smirking twins, "Are these what I think they are?"  
"Thought you might find a use for them." Fred winked again, "If you know what I mean."  
"But you said it was merchandise." Harry protested.  
"Who do you think invented them?" George asked, looking scandalized, "we don't just keep an eye out in Diagon Alley you know."  
"First rate inventors of all sort of useful devices," Fred said proudly, "that's our crowning contribution to the war effort."  
Harry grinned, "Thanks." For a goodbye the twins shoved him backwards through the fireplace. Harry was whirling around and around, holding tightly to his trunk before arriving at his destination. The centrifugal force of his trunk sent him spinning out of the fire and sprawling on the carpet in a cloud of ash and dust.  
"Good day Harry," said Dumbledore's voice, "I'm glad you have arrived safely.  
Harry cleared his vision, and found himself in the Gryffindor common room sitting on the floor with Dumbledore and McGonagall standing over him. The former looked amused, the latter disapproving.  
"Sorry sir!" Harry said, scrambling up and dusting himself off.  
"That's quite all right Potter," interrupted Professor McGonagall briskly, "I'll just wait here for your friends, you may go and put your belongings away."  
"I wish to meet with you in the first weekend Harry," Dumbledore told him as he hoisted up his trunk, "I have the individuals who will be giving you and the D.A. your extra training and discuss other events with you if that is all right."  
"Of course sir." Harry said eagerly, "I'll be there." Dumbledore smiled and strode out the portrait hole, winking at the Fat Lady as he passed.  
Harry hauled his trunk up to his dormitory, as he walked in he saw that Neville's trunk was already stuffed under his bed. He wondered why Neville was already back, he knew Neville had gone to visit his parents over break after they had gotten out of the critical care ward at St. Mungo's and had been transferred back to the closed ward. He couldn't imagine that if would have been a pleasant experience, but nearly losing his parents, even if they didn't know who he was, had really shaken Neville up he had wanted to go see them recovered from the injuries inflicted upon them by the Reaper.  
Ron came in as Harry began putting his things away, glanced at Neville's bed and went to his without saying anything about it. "What was Dumbledore here for?" he asked Harry.  
"He wanted to make sure I made it here safely," Harry replied, folding his shirts, "just had to see to it himself I guess."  
Ron whistled softly, "He really does worry about your safety mate, blimey."  
'Yeah,' Harry thought, 'because he knows anything can't happen to me. I'm their salvation, the way to make or break this war, hmph how important I am." He couldn't help but feel a small pang of bitterness.  
"Anyway he also wanted to set up a meeting about the extra training," Harry said, to shake it off, "he's got our trainers lined up."  
"Great," Ron was just as enthusiastic, "did he say who?"  
"No, we'll just have to see."  
"Yeah," Ron stuffed the rest of his robes haphazardly into his drawers. "let's hit the kitchens I'm starving." 


	52. Chapter 51: The Five

I have a question, is mrs-osbournes-class an actual class? It never occurred to me I might have an entire class reading this fic, just wondering. Thanks for the question Melindaleo, if you're wondering what the twins gave Harry, reread Chapter 47, it's in there. Sorry, it's not what you hoped for. This is a Harry/Ginny fic, and I do believe in happy endings, but if there isn't a struggle to get there why would it be special? Just remember that and be patient with me, love takes time.  
  
Chapter 51: The Five  
Being back at Hogwarts was both good and bad for Harry, work piled up again immediately, but as Ron had theorized, the teachers seemed to be less intense about lessons so it didn't reach the furious pitch of last term. Harry's apprehension as to how to balance the D.A., Quidditch, the extra training and schoolwork seemed misplaced.  
He tried to second guess who the trainers were going to be, he suspected several of them were current teachers, but none of them did anything incriminating that he could see. Not even Hagrid spilled anything about it, and Harry was almost sure that he knew something about it.  
"So how was yer break?" Hagrid asked him over tea with Ron and Hermione late in the week.  
"Oh, pretty lousy beginning." Hermione snorted, but Hagrid declined to comment, he just looked sad. Harry knew he was thinking about his friend Darius, and the request he had made of Hagrid if the Reaper was ever released.  
"Good otherwise," Harry finished for Hermione, "how was yours?"  
Hagrid immediately turned fidgety, "Oh well, yeh know, better than most." He looked at their expectant faces for a moment, then turned away, "Before I ferget," he rummaged around in the back of his cabin for a moment, before pulling out some lumpy packages, "I got these fer yeh, Happy Christmas!"  
They took the parcels with many thanks and tore them open. Harry and Ron got banners with symbols Harry didn't recognize, Hermione's, predictably, was a book. "Wow Hagrid! She squealed happily, "famous wizards of ancient France, thanks! Now I've got almost all of Europe!"  
"How many books is that?" asked Ron, examining his banner in confusion. "Er Hagrid, what is this?"  
"Look at the emblem," Hagrid said, tapping his nose, "yeh'll see."  
Ron looked at his closely, as did Harry. Harry thought he recognized the emblem from somewhere, but couldn't place it. Ron however looked delighted, "Hagrid how did you get these?!" he cried.  
"What are they?" Harry asked him.  
"These are banners from the World Quidditch Stadium in France!" Ron said, he was ecstatic, "Any English player would give his right arm for one of these, they're highly prized as souvenirs of rivalry! How did you get them Hagrid?"  
Now Harry knew where he had seen it, on Ron's dartboard, he looked at the banner with new respect. Hagrid grinned, "Oh I jes pulled some strings yeh know." He waved his big hand haphazardly. "Got somethin' else too." He reached into his massive pocket and pulled out the largest wand Harry had ever seen, almost two feet long.  
"Oh Hagrid!" Hermione squealed, "Then you're allowed to do magic now! Why did you go to France to get it?"  
Hagrid rumbled angrily, "I was allowed ter do magic as soon as they cleared my name with that diary all them years ago. But ole Fudge and Umbridge passed a law that stated part-humans," he spat the word out, "can't buy another wand if their first was snapped by the Ministry. Didn' want me havin' one. But now that the war's on again I went ter ole Mr. Ollivander and he put in a good word fer me to a bloke he knew in France and got me this!" He held up the wand triumphantly.  
"Imagine Christmas in France!" Hermione said later as they walked along the halls, absently flipping through the new book. "That must have been amazing!"  
"Wonder where he stayed." Ron mused, folding his banner reverently.  
"Oh I don't know." Hermione said a bit two nonchalantly, shifting her hands slightly on her book.  
Harry glanced down in time to see a coat of arms including crossed wands and stars before Hermione's hand covered it. He grinned to himself, where had Hagrid stayed indeed. He looked down at his watch, "Blimey, I've got to get to Dumbledore's office, see you guys. Ron, take this for me and hang it up on my four poster okay?" He thrust his folded banner at Ron and hurried off.  
No private conversations intruded when he hurried up the spiral stairs to the Headmaster's office, not like the last time, the door was not open so he knocked. "Come in." came Dumbledore's voice.  
Harry pushed open the door and walked in, like usual Dumbledore was sitting at his desk stroking Fawkes. There were several other people in the office but Harry found his eyes drawn elsewhere. Sure enough, the case below the Sorting hat was empty, the sword of Godric Gryffindor had not been found.  
Looking back to the group Harry was surprised, Moody leaned nonchalantly against the edge of Dumbledore's desk tense as a coiled spring. Lupin stood next to the fireplace, apparently having just arrived by Floo powder as he was brushing soot off his robes. Snape was there as well, standing as far away from Lupin as he could without looking like it was deliberate, his usual unpleasant sneer on his face.  
Professor Binns floated in a corner, looking rather lost outside of his own classroom. Finally Bill Weasley was flopped haphazardly in one of the armchairs. He lifted a hand and waved at Harry, earning him a glare from both Snape and Moody, though each probably had a different reason for doing so.  
"Ah good, Harry I want you to meet your five instructors who will be responsible for the challenges encompassing your extra training." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "I do not believe introductions are needed."  
"No sir." Harry said, assessing his position. His heart had sunk upon seeing Snape was one of the five, but it had leapt again when he had seen Lupin and Bill. Moody's presence just made him nervous, while Professor Binns seemed incredibly out of place. Harry had never even seen the ghost Professor outside of the History of Magic classroom, and from the looks of him he hadn't been outside of his classroom for a very long time, perhaps even longer than Harry had lived.  
"Good, each of them will be presenting you and your group with a challenge; it may be whatever they deem necessary to further your training." Harry winced inwardly at this, he hated to think what Snape might think he needed to learn Dumbledore continued, "You will not have any prior knowledge of what the challenge will be before the challenge happens, it is up to you to prepare. Do you have any questions?"  
"Er, who will be going first?" Harry asked, looking nervous, Lupin smiled at him encouragingly.  
"Professor Binns will be presenting his challenge on the first Saturday in February, which gives you three weeks to prepare I believe." Dumbledore smiled, "the rest will follow along throughout the term."  
"Yes yes," wheezed Professor Binns, "be prepared Mr. Porter." Lupin smiled, Bill choked on his laughter and Harry hid his smile, he wasn't too worried about this particular challenge.  
"Now if you will all excuse Harry and I," Dumbledore said, folding his hands on his desk, "we have other matters to discuss, I will see you all later at the appointed times to discuss your challenges." Snape snorted as though insulted and stalked out the door, Professor Binns made a little sighing noise and faded through the floor.  
Moody stumped up to Harry, "I just wanted to say boy," he growled, "that you've got potential, we'll see just how much potential." He left before Harry could think of what to say to that.  
Lupin approached as Harry turned to look after the grizzled Auror, "Don't get confused Harry, that was actually quite extravagant praise coming from him. You managed to impress him at the Grangers."  
"Thanks Remus," Harry replied, still not quite able to shake his nervousness at the intensity of Moody's gaze. "I'm glad you're in on this."  
Lupin smiled, "Wait until you see my challenge before you say that, see you later Harry." He followed Moody out the door.  
Bill approached rather tentatively, "Er Harry, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to mum." He ran a hand through his ponytail, "You wouldn't believe the lecture I'd get about not going to hard on you. You know how she is."  
Harry grinned, "Yeah I do, don't worry Bill she won't hear it from me."  
"Great, good luck Harry, I've got to be going, "Bill suavely adjusted his cloak and smiled his most dashing smile, "private lessons you know." Harry laughed as Bill mockingly swaggered out.  
After they were all gone, Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Harry I have only a short thing to tell you but it is most important." He looked at Harry seriously through his half-moon glasses, "if at any point in time your scar hurts again I wish to know about it immediately, we will be having Occlumency lessons any time you think you can spare a few hours."  
"Yes sir," Harry said, confused, "but why the sudden interest? It hasn't hurt in ages."  
"I have reason to believe that may change sometime in the near future Harry." Dumbledore said sadly, "Please take this seriously, the link between you and Voldemort may be reopened soon."  
"Yes sir, I understand." Harry left the office with another complication to his life. 


	53. Chapter 52: Be prepared

Welcome binki678, this chapter should answer your questions, if it doesn't, let me know and I'll be more detailed in the future. Thanks for the great reviews.  
  
Chapter 52: Be Prepared  
Harry came back to the common room and was immediately accosted by Seamus, Dean and Ron almost before he had climbed through the portrait hole. "Well!?" all three asked, pushing forward.  
"Scram you three!" Harry said, good-naturedly, "Get everyone together and then I'll tell you, down at the oak tree like last time."  
"Going to stare down a manticore this time Harry?" Seamus jostled him as he passed, "I'd like to see that."  
"Sod off Finnigan!" Harry laughed, "I'll have you do it instead of Neville this time!" Seamus painted an expression of mock fear on his face as he and Dean dashed away. Ron was already hurrying over to Hermione, who had been sitting at a table trying not to look interested, yelling at her to go get Parvati, Lavender and Ginny from the girls dormitories.  
The group which met under the oak tree was significantly different from the one that had met before, now the air was heavy with anticipation. Most everyone had been infected with the excitement Harry and his friends had been feeling when they had first heard the news of the extra training. There were still a few holdouts like Marietta, but Harry didn't feel she was worth bothering about.  
"So we're all here," Ginny said loudly, "who are our overlords Harry?" General laughter greeted the statement; it was invigorating to Harry seeing all these people primed and ready to follow him.  
"We're having challenges from Professor Snape," hisses and catcalls greeted the name, "Mad-eye Moody," a nervous silence, "Remus Lupin," wild cheers, "Bill Weasley," there were audible squeals and sighs from several female members, Ron rolled his eyes, "and out first challenge will be three weeks from now, given by Professor Binns."  
The silence that followed was one of shock, "Binns!" roared Ernie MacMillan, "Are they mental!? What kind of challenge would he present us with?!"  
"Maybe he'll challenge us to stay awake while he talks about medieval witch burnings!" shouted Terry Boot, everyone laughed except Hermione, who actually did stay awake during the mind-numbing lectures.  
"Didn't Dumbledore say what kind of challenge it was going to be, Harry?" she asked, everyone fell silent in expectation.  
"Harry took a deep breath, "No he didn't. Just the time and the trainer, no details about what it was going to be."  
"Then how are we supposed to prepare for it?" Michael Corner asked querulously, looking at Harry as though he had overlooked something important.  
"We know it will have to do with defensive magic," Harry replied, resisting the sudden urge to practice his curses on Corner, "so I want everyone trained up in all general areas, defense and attack spells, protection spells transfiguration and any charm work you think might come in handy, our biggest disadvantage is that we don't know what's coming, so we have to be ready for anything. What Hermione?"  
Hermione had been fidgeting all through his little speech, at Harry's call she jumped, "Oh! Um, well it just so happens that I've been researching spells for the D.A. with Professor Krum," Parvati and Lavender immediately began giggling and Ron's ears flushed a brilliant scarlet, Ginny rolled her eyes. Hermione ignored them and continued, "and I've complied a list of the ones I thought would serve us best." She began distributing neat little lists, "most of it Harry has already taught us, but there is some new stuff."  
Judging from the looks people were giving the lists Harry wasn't sure Hermione was the best one to tell them which spells to research, she had an annoying habit of excelling and then pushing everyone else to excel as well. Glancing at the list he could see room for complaint, there were some difficult things on it. He gauged the others' reactions.  
Ginny and Katie looked at theirs steadily, no trace of fear or anxiety. Cho and Michael looked bewildered, though not as much as the Creevey brothers and the Hufflepuffs. Neville looked at his list in terror, Luna in delight. Dean, Seamus, Parvati and Lavender were all gaping at it like it had just sprouted arms and legs.  
"Hermione beamed at the group, "Learn it all, if you have problems or questions see Harry."  
Harry started, about to say something, but Ron stopped him, shaking his head, "It's better they go through you mate, you're the boss after all. Besides," he rolled his eyes, "you know they'll won't want to go to Hermione for help, they all know how intense she is."  
Harry had to admit Ron had a good point, he changed what he was going to say, "All right, start with that let me know as soon as you can do it all, then we'll see about some group practice."  
"Give them a deadline!" Hermione hissed.  
"Have it done in a week and a half so we have half the time to practice. Any questions?" Michael Corner raised his hand, Harry sighed inwardly, but at least Corner was asking permission to speak. "Yes?"  
"Why do we have to know all this stuff for a challenge set by Binns?" he asked in a most hostile fashion. Ron glared, clenching his fist. Seamus and began moving up behind Corner, Harry waved them back.  
"Even if we don't need it for this challenge, I guarantee we'll need it for Moody's, and do I need to say again that Snape is one of them or will you not hear me this time either?" Michael flushed and fell silent, "Good, we're done, take of everybody." He tried to catch Ginny's eye as the D.A. dispersed, but she was immersed in conversation with Luna, Neville and Dean. He felt a very powerful twinge in his heart and looked away.  
"That git had better watch his step in those challenges." Ron snarled, glaring after the group of Ravenclaws.  
"At least he's here and working for the team Ron." Hermione said placatingly.  
"He'd better give himself eyes in the back of his head anyway." Ron said, fingering his wand.  
"So Harry," Hermione said hastily, obviously wanting to steer the conversation in a less vengeful direction, "have they found the sword yet?"  
"No," Harry shook his head, "the case was still empty."  
"Maybe we should look into this," Hermione said thoughtfully, Harry felt that was rather ridiculous given that highly professional Aurors, not to mention the Order, were already on the case. He still felt it was probably Malfoy, but he wasn't really going to waste his time in a fruitless pursuit of evidence.  
Ron however, looked thoughtful as well, "Maybe we should, I mean, we all think it was an inside job so as students in the school, maybe we can do what the Aurors can't."  
"Yes, I think I'll research the past on the Department of Education, maybe I can find out more about the suspects."  
Ron snorted, "You mean Tofty."  
Hermione flushed, "What's the problem?!"  
"If you don't know I'm not going to tell you." Ron said sarcastically, "Come on, let's get some dinner." He hurried up the lawn.  
"RONALD WEASLEY!" Hermione took off after him, "You get back here right now and tell me what that's supposed to mean!"  
Harry followed more sedately, shaking his head, back to the old business it seemed, he wondered which of them was more oblivious. He really couldn't decide. 


	54. Chapter 53: Fights and Eavesdropping

Chapter 53: Fights and Eavesdropping  
Harry had rather begun to feel that human emotions were probably the best and worst creation in the entire world. Hermione and Ron's argument lasted an almost record week. The only time he'd seen them argue longer was when Ron had thought Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers a.k.a. Wormtail.  
Ron's continued refusal to inform Hermione what he thought was wrong with her method of investigation infuriated her. Harry took to avoiding her after their most serious altercations; usually she would go study or knit furiously, snapping at everyone for the slightest transgressions.  
Ron for his part, seemed to actually be in command of the row for once, usually Hermione's snappy wit and knowledge left him stumbling to catch up. This time he had been the initiator and had the upper hand in the argument. He seemed rather pleased at the role-reversal and his reaction to the worst Hermione could throw at him was almost perfunctory.  
He finally gave it up a week later by apologizing rather chivalrously and offering to help her with her research. At that point Hermione had told him Krum was already helping her, then it all went back to Ron being moody and Hermione not noticing it. Harry truly wondered if those two would ever go anywhere.  
He himself really didn't have room to comment though. He was at a loss on how to proceed with Ginny. She had stopped the awkwardness and was now talking to him easily, like they had used to. But Harry, still felt uncomfortable whenever she and Dean walked in laughing or holding hands. He didn't dare ask for advice from anyone, the last thing he felt he needed was for word to leak out to someone like Parvati or Lavender. In the meantime he floundered on with his life, his issues with romance unsolved.  
The spell memorization turned out to be fairly easy for Harry. Hermione had included all the basic knowledge Harry had taught in the early days of the D.A. The extra spells turned out to be well thought out and interesting. Hermione had found stronger shield spells, reflection and double reflection charms, disillusionment charms, a useful variation of the pointer spell Harry had used in the Triwizard maze, and other miscellaneous charms and hexes. This pointer spell pointed his wand toward any member of the group he asked for, Harry felt it would come in handy for coordination.  
Everyone managed to memorize the spells within the time limit Harry had set, although Neville had required some help and some others weren't as good as he had hoped for he decided to start practices anyway.  
He started with dueling; he figured they'd probably face off with some attacking wizards at several points throughout this challenge and he wanted his people well prepared. Most everyone had a lot of experience at pacing off and firing spells at each other. But Harry, remembering the duels he'd seen between the Order and the Death Eaters last year and encouraged them to move around a little more and stay mobile and aware of what was going on around them.  
He had a difficult time persuading most of them to do it. His exercise involved starting a duel between two people and then having a third person attack in the middle of it. By the end of the first practice late in the second week all he had accomplished was getting people to notice the attack just in time to take it in the face rather than the back.  
"All right, that's enough!" Harry said in frustration as Luna dropped Ernie MacMillan right in the middle of his duel with Cho. "We definitely need more practice with this, we'll meet again tomorrow."  
"Quidditch Harry." Whispered Katie Bell nonchalantly.  
"We'll meet two days from now," Harry amended hurriedly, "keep practicing if you have the time, see you then." The disgruntled groups of the D.A. began moving away.  
Harry sighed, "Their situational awareness is terrible." He remarked, more to himself than anyone.  
Someone answered him anyway, "Perhaps you should show them vhat to do," Harry whirled to see Viktor Krum standing behind him, Harry hadn't heard him come in to the Room of Requirement. "it is easier to demonstrate than lecture." Krum smiled tightly, "my teaching has taught me that."  
"Erm, thanks." Harry mumbled as Krum moved past him and walked up to Hermione. Something about the Assistant-Professor made his skin crawl, he just couldn't quite place what it might be.  
They held a short conversation in the corner of the room, Lavender and Parvati tried to hang back and eavesdrop, but Seamus, Dean and Ginny moved them along swiftly, although Seamus couldn't seem to resist jabbing Ron in the ribs as he left. Harry waited for Ron to explode, but Ron didn't even seem to notice, his eyes were fixed firmly on one of the bookshelves.  
Krum finished the conversation and, nodding to Harry and Ron, left. Hermione came over to them as he stepped out the door. Seeing Harry's look she raised her eyebrows in a show of innocence, "What?"  
Ron made an audible snort, seized his bag and stormed out the door, flinging it shut behind him. Hermione made an annoyed noise and hurried after him. Rolling his eyes Harry picked up his wand and ran out the door.  
"Ron!" Hermione was shouting, hurrying after him, trying to keep pace with his much longer strides. They disappeared into the distance. Harry shook his head and began walking back to Gryffindor tower, he had homework to finish. He wondered if there was any way to get them to stop fighting for just a little while. He was willing to bet any amount money that if they didn't fight for two days straight they'd be snogging each other senseless by sundown.  
"Forget the prophecy; my friends are going to be the death of me." He muttered, earning him a strange look from a few wizards gathered around a large cauldron in the painting across the hall."  
He heard footsteps ahead, thinking it might be Filch Harry hurriedly hid himself behind a convenient suit of armor. He considered going for his invisibility cloak in his bag, but the figures hove into view before he could get it loose.  
"You have asked me this question before Mr. Malfoy." Harry's eyes widened as his eyes fell on Snape.  
"And I'll keep asking if you don't mind," came Draco Malfoy's voice as he rounded the corner, following the Professor. "I need this resolved sir."  
Snape halted mere yards from Harry's hiding place, leaving him afraid to breathe too loudly. "I truly wish I could help you Mr. Malfoy, believe me I do, but I cannot convey a message if your father has not given me one to deliver." Snape said tightly, facing Malfoy sternly.  
Malfoy glared angrily, "He hasn't said anything?! Not even a message for me about my mother?!"  
Snape shook his head; Harry thought he could catch a hint of sympathy in the Potions Master's voice. "He has said nothing to me, and I have not seen him in a long while, I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy."  
Malfoy's voice was flat and demanding, "If you do, could you ask him please? I have to speak to him about an important item."  
Snape's eyes flickered for a moment, then he replied, "I will do my best Mr. Malfoy, but I cannot promise anything, your father knew the risks going into this little venture."  
"Yeah, well did my mother know them?" Malfoy retorted bitterly, "I'm beginning to wonder." He stalked away down towards the dungeon alone. Harry remembered this was the first time he'd seen Malfoy keeping any company besides his own. He'd really become a solitary brooder these days, even leaving Crabbe and Goyle to Pansy Parkinson.  
Snape stared after the retreating figure of his student, stroking his chin contemplatively; he squinted as if deep in thought. Harry was sure Snape was about to hear him and he'd be serving a weeks worth of detentions when the Potions Master abruptly turned and hurried off in the direction of the corridor housing Dumbledore's office.  
Harry came out after a moment and continued on his way, wondering whether or not his suspicions about Malfoy were correct. Had they just been confirmed? He wondered what Snape was telling Dumbledore right now about the conversation he had just overheard. 


	55. Chapter 54: Poised

Well I just have to acknowledge all these great new reviewers, for you old hands, I haven't forgotten you, you're all my inspiration.  
  
*Keladry2* I'm very, very, very flattered. I've never received that kind of praise from a H/Hr shipper. I'm glad you're enjoying this fic so much, I'll try to keep the updates coming so you don't go off the deep end, wouldn't want a reviewer as good as you going insane on me.  
  
*blunt-but-honest* Thank you for your reviews. I must warn you, it's in my nature to not respond well to criticism. You've been right so far, so don't get offended if I'm a little unpleasant in the future, I appreciate your honesty.  
  
*Donna Irene Mohr* I'm sorry you're disappointed in the story. This is a story about seeking love, and what is that but an adventure? Anyhow, I have to continue with the storyline JKR left me, and you have to admit she's not all about romance. Sorry, but that's the way this story will be, perhaps my later one's can be more to your liking.  
  
*whocares* Thanks a lot, it's great to know that you like this enough to leave one of your rare reviews. Don't worry I'm not giving this up as long as I have loyal reviewers.  
  
*Warrior* Great to have you reading! Thanks for your generous praise, but I'm not as good as JKR.  
  
Chapter 54: Poised  
  
Nott turned for one last threatening look into the confines of the house where the young wife huddled over the prostrate figure of her husband. He glared through his mask, "Remember this day, and know what happens to those who refuse the Dark Lord's gifts! Tell that to all you know, that is the only reason you live; don't give us cause to regret that decision!"  
She stared after them in stark terror as he flung his cloak around himself and followed Avery out the door. He was preparing to fire the Dark Mark when the sound of applause reached his ears. He whirled around in fury, ready to curse the walking corpse who dared to mock him. He stopped upon finding that it actually was a walking corpse, after a fashion anyway.  
"Inspiring Nott!" the Reaper remarked through his clapping, "I had no idea you had such a flair for the dramatic!" He grinned in amusement, glancing through the doorway at the sobbing woman.  
Nott snarled, "What the hell is he doing here?!" he turned to Avery and got a noncommittal shrug in return.  
"Oh I just thought that since you guys have been watching me so much without taking any action yourselves I owe it to you to do the same." the vampire held out his hand, "Anyone want a smoke?"  
Nott glared at him in revulsion while pointing his wand skyward, "Get those away from me! Morsmordre!" The Dark Mark shot high into the sky and glittered over the scene.  
The Reaper whistled appreciatively, "And I thought you had a flare for the dramatic, that's pure theater in motion!"  
"What are you doing here?!" Nott gnashed his teeth, "And I warn you if it's not a satisfactory answer we are going to have a problem!"  
"I'm supposed to talk to him." Avery said quietly, "The Dark Lord had a message for him so I called him and let him know we would be here."  
Nott snorted angrily, "You may find him interesting, but kindly don't bring me into contact with that thing any more than our master requires, do it on your own time!"  
"Geez, just when you think you get past that whole creature of the night thing somebody throws it back in your face." The Reaper feigned hurt, "Come on Nott, we've had some good times haven't we?"  
"Not lately," Nott replied scathingly, "you got yourself stuck I hear, something about garlic."  
The Reaper's face darkened, but he said lightly, "Oh I had a slight disagreement with a werewolf; we were just trying to kill each other. He just had an extra surprise for me, although I hope he felt that little scratch I gave him."  
"Does garlic hurt?" Avery asked curiously.  
The Reaper bent forward and looked him in the eye, "Like boiling metal in your veins, it burns like the fires of hell."  
Avery swallowed, but Nott simply muttered, "Good." Avery looked between him and the Reaper nervously, "Would you kindly deliver your message Avery so we can get out of here?" Nott turned away to watch for Aurors.  
Avery swallowed again, but turned back to the Reaper, who had remained taciturn throughout the earlier conversation. "The Dark Lord is planning a major operation; he requires all the forces at your disposal for its completion to be successful. Be warned all of your vampires must come prepared for combat, it is a hardened target, expect excessive casualty rates. Will that be a problem?"  
The vampire shrugged, rolling his eyes, "There's plenty more where they came from, do we have a timetable?"  
"I'll contact you the normal way," Avery replied, "just prepare for now. We expect Dumbledore's forces and a response from the Ministry, though I wonder if Fudge will dare come out and fight."  
"We'll be ready, just worry about your own end of things," the Reaper smiled, "from what I hear there's less of you masked fellows than the boss would like."  
Nott snarled at him, "That's what you think! Humph, like you know our true strength. Let's go Avery!"  
As the Death Eaters turned away the Reaper grinned evilly as he lit a cigarette, "Hey Nott!"  
Nott turned angrily, "What?!"  
"You've got your family on Pier Street in Liverpool right?" The vampire asked nonchalantly, putting away his lighter.  
Nott's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously, "What of it?"  
"Oh, just telling you to be careful," the Reaper lowered his voice conspiratorially, "I hear those new fangled security spells you guys use drive vampires crazy, with so many wandering around you just need to take care."  
The Death Eater choked and reached for his wand, "Is that a threat?!" he spat out in a red rage.  
The Reaper cracked his knuckles, his expression was hard, "Just a good piece of advice, that's all. You want to make it more than that?"  
The two stared each other down for a moment, then Avery pulled on Nott's shoulder, breaking the eye contact. Nott glared, then apparated without a word. Avery looked apologetic but said nothing either, seconds later he was gone.  
The Reaper walked quietly back up to the porch, flicking away the barely used cigarette. Lyn came around the corner of the house, "I suggest you kill him now master," she purred, looking curiously at the woman still bent over the body inside, "he's a thoroughly unpleasant little bugger."  
"If I had to kill everyone I know who is thoroughly unpleasant I wouldn't have anyone left." The Reaper grinned at her, "Just leave him to me, he's amusing for now. Besides if I mess with another of his precious little spellcasters old red eyes might get a little peeved, and we don't want that."  
Lyn smirked, "Yet?"  
The Reaper winked at her, "Yet. Grab the rest and let's get a move on, the Aurors will probably be here soon." He glanced inside at the woman. "Hmm bring her along, she's kind of pretty, maybe she'll want to live forever."  
"Awww," Lyn faked a pout.  
"Don't worry," the senior vampire chucked her under the chin, "nobody will ever replace you, if she cries too much you can eat her." Lyn giggled wickedly and moved into the house as the Reaper walked off humming tunelessly. 


	56. Chapter 55: The History Challenge

Well it's been suggested that I hurry up and finish this story, I hadn't planned on it being so long, but I have so much more to put in. I just wanted to know what everyone thinks I need to do here, shorten it up? Or keep plugging away for a while?  
  
Welcome to Lotr and Stevie, thanks for the excellent reviews. I notice I'm on a lot of people's Author Alert list, I'd love to get some reviews from all of you. More input on this story is always welcome.  
  
Chapter 55: The History Challenge  
  
Harry enjoyed his Quidditch on Saturday, but the next day they were in the Room of Requirement again honing their skills. "Come on you guys!" Harry shouted, as Ron blasted Justin-Finch Fletchley and then Michael Corner as well, just for good measure, "you were both too wrapped up in your own duel, you never saw him coming!" He shook his head in frustration; people were still having too much trouble with this concept.  
Michael got up from where Ron's curse had tossed him, "You do it then!" he snarled, wincing as he put a hand on his ribs, "Let's see you do any better!" a second curse from Ron sent him flying again.  
"Ron!" Hermione scolded, sounding like Mrs. Weasley.  
Ron looked innocently at her, "Harry didn't say stop yet." Hermione glared, he gulped and went over to talk to Neville.  
"All right!" Harry shouted to the group in general before Hermione could lay into him, "Gather around, I'll show you how to do this."  
The D.A. grouped around where he was standing at the center of the room. "Let's see," he looked around, "he indicated Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Katie Bell, Ginny, and Dean. "attack me, all of you." They gaped at him as though he had just asked them to jump off the Astronomy Tower. "What's the problem?" he asked, "there are five of you aren't there?"  
"That's not what we were worried about Harry," remarked Katie, looking at him dubiously, "it's that there's one of you."  
"Good grief I'm fine," Harry rolled his eyes, "look will you just," he broke off, "never mind." He blasted Dean off his feet with a banishing spell (secretly guilty about how good that had felt) and narrowly missed Terry Boot with a body bind. Everyone immediately backed up several feet. Ginny and the rest started and began bringing up their wands.  
"That's it!" Harry shouted, firing a few jets of sparks over their heads, "Get me or I'm going to get you!"  
Katie immediately leapt forward in full attack like the good Chaser she was, her stunner whizzed by Harry's left shoulder as he dodged. Harry was already halfway past her when he shouted "Tarantarangella!" and she went into an uncontrollable mad tap dance, which effectively took her out of the fight.  
Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein approached together, each cautiously watching the others back. Too cautiously it turned out; Harry was on top of them before they could get off spells because they were moving too slowly. He placed Anthony between himself and Terry, cutting off Terry's line of attack. Before either could figure out how to counter Harry raised his wand, "Petrificus Totalus!" and shoved Anthony's stiff form into Terry, leaving them on the ground in a heap.  
His mad dash unchecked, Harry sent Dean another banishing charm and closed in on his last target, Ginny. Then something happened, as he brought up his wand to aim at her, he saw the determination set in that beautiful face. For one crucial second he hesitated. . . And found himself on the receiving end of a leg-locking curse that sent him crashing to the ground. Without thinking he brought up his wand and his stunner caught her in the leg, sending her to the ground beside him, not completely stunned, but too addled to get up. For a long moment complete silence reigned, except for Katie swearing as she removed his tap dance curse from herself.  
"You see that!" Harry shouted to everyone clustering around them, "if I can do five you can do two!" They just stared at him, "Er, would somebody help me up?"  
Hermione rushed forward and unlocked his legs while Ron helped Ginny up and enervated her. She looked just fine, if a little shocked. Harry nodded to her, "Good work Ginny."  
She nodded back and smiled, "Gotcha."  
"Yes, yes you did."  
After three days of practices Harry managed to get them to pay more attention to what was happening around them. Though none of them had managed to take on five people they were consistently winning against two or three using the swift attack approach Harry had used.  
Hermione, Ginny, Ron and surprisingly Neville, each had one victory against four attackers. Although Ron spent an hour in the hospital wing with some nasty burns due to Seamus' over eagerness. Ron immediately slugged him in the stomach upon his exit from the ward, earning him another detention this time from Professor McGonagall.  
Despite some setbacks and the rocky start, Harry was feeling good about their chances of holding their own against attackers as the time for the first challenge approached. He was fairly sure that the challenge would involve attackers of some kind.  
However, everyone treated the challenge as sort of a joke since Professor Binns was the one planning it. Harry himself found it hard not to trivialize it; Binn's couldn't even remember names of his students, Harry half expected them to arrive for the challenge to find the ghost had forgotten about it completely.  
Harry assembled the D.A. at the oak tree a half hour before they were due at the Quidditch pitch for the first challenge. Harry hoped they weren't about to encounter another maze, the last one hadn't turned out too well. Ron and Hermione stood next to him, Ron fidgeted slightly, Hermione was composed.  
Harry looked over his group; the Gryffindors were mostly relaxed. Neville was pale but determined, sitting quietly with Luna, her head resting on his shoulder. Seamus was whistling off key and staring at the sky as though he hadn't a care in the world; Dean was sitting with Ginny, neither speaking. Parvati and Lavender were going over Hermione's list again with Katie. The Creevey Brothers had no relaxation in them, they were charging about with their usual enthusiasm.  
The Hufflepuffs were less resilient; Ernie was pacing pompously in front of Justin, who was deliberately not listening to him. Susan Bones seemed tractable enough, but perhaps she just looked that way because she was standing next to Hannah Abbot, who was twitching nervously and jumping at small noises.  
The Ravenclaws were mixed; Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot looked excited, Michael Corner was his usual sour self. Marietta Edgecomb was the worst, looking completely frazzled and incapable of speech, much less action, Cho was trying to encourage her. Luna was leaning on Neville, looking dreamy and oblivious.  
"All right," Harry said loudly, Hannah Abbot jumped, "sorry, look just remember what I taught, keep your heads level and listen to instructions. We'll all get through this fine if we work together." Feeling that his pep talks were wearing a bit thin, Harry led the way down to the Quidditch pitch.  
Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Madame Pomphrey and Professor Binns all gathered at the center of the pitch. Harry led the way up to them. "Ah good, we are ready to begin!" said Dumbledore brightly, his eyes twinkling. "First off, I must tell you that this is a simulation and while you might be slightly banged up, I assure you no real harm may come to you. Madame Pomphrey will see to any minor injuries." The mediwitch huffed, looking as though she thought this entire process was a bad idea.  
Dumbledore continued, "Now this challenge has been set forth by Professor Binns, you and your group will be transported to a certain point. The challenge will be this; you must reach the area two miles due north of the starting position with as many of your members as you can. Do you understand?"  
Harry nodded firmly, the D.A. behind him, "When do we begin?"  
Dumbledore smiled mischievously, "Now." Harry felt a jerk behind his navel, a rushing sensation and quite suddenly fell forward onto his face on a packed dirt road.  
Harry pulled himself up and looked around, he was indeed on a dirt road with the members of the D.A. sprawled around him. He looked north in the fading light of sundown. He could make out lightly forested hills. There was a wooden sign next to him that said, "Aldenbourne 2 miles."  
Everyone got up and dusted themselves off, "Where are we?" asked Cho.  
"The sign says two miles outside of Aldenbourne," Harry replied, "I don't suppose anyone knows where that is?"  
There was a chorus of no's but Harry noticed Hermione's voice was not among them. He turned to her, "Well?"  
She squinted at the sign, "This is important Harry, I've read about this somewhere, and it was in one of Professor Binn's history lectures."  
"No wonder you're having trouble remembering." Remarked Ron, "What's so important about this place?"  
"Hold on I'm trying to remember, it was in reference to," she paused thinking hard. Everyone waited quietly.  
Ginny prompted her, "In reference to what?" Hermione suddenly gasped, looking at the sign fearfully, "What?! What was it in reference to Hermione?"  
"Medieval witch burnings." Hermione said quietly as torches sprang up in all directions. 


	57. Chapter 56: The Witchfinder Disaster

I'm sorry about my terrible record with postings lately, I know you are all anxious to see what happens next, but I'm trying to make this a good story and I'm struggling with this particular part. Bear with me please, I know how this is going to end, I'm just a little hazy on the details of how to get there.  
  
Chapter 56: The Witchfinder Disaster  
Harry shielded his eyes, looking in all directions; groups of people were approaching wherever he looked. At least he thought they were people, they were all dressed in black and red uniforms and appeared to be somehow blurred around the edges, they seemed to wax and fade in the flickering torchlight. They were all young men, all carried long, iron torches, which looked far more useful as clubs than lights.  
"Hermione," Harry said quickly, as the D.A. nervously backed together, "if you have any information about these guys now would be a good time to share it."  
"The Witchfinder Army," Hermione said, like she was quoting from a book in class, "extremist faction of the Catholic church during the Middle Ages, conducted witch hunts all over Europe. They were the only ones to cause actual deaths of witches and wizards during all the hunts in history. Their greatest campaign was here, on the road to Aldenbourne in England, the entire army assembled here to hunt down a group of wizards and witches living in the area.  
  
"So we're up against an entire army of witch hunters." Harry said, sounding a lot calmer than he felt, "Why are they faded like that?"  
Hermione squinted at the surrounding figures, not quite able to disguise her shivering, "No idea, maybe it has something to do with whatever spell Professor Binns had done to recreate this."  
"Are you so sure it's not real?" Parvati shrieked from the back of the group, where she was practically eclipsed by Dean and Seamus.  
"Let's find out." Ron leveled his wand at an advancing Witchfinder and shouted, "Reducto!" The torch in the advancing figure's hand shattered into fiery metal fragments, the Wtichfinder holding it shrieked, flickered visibly, and disappeared.  
"Well that didn't really answer that question," remarked Ginny raising her wand. "We can hit them, but they disappear when we do."  
"We have to get to the end point," Harry said loudly, "All right everyone, when I tell you, break northward, hit as many of these gits as you can on the way, we can't take them all out, we'll have to run."  
Ernie MacMillan eyed the nearest approaching Witchfinders dubiously, "They look like they're in better shape than us Harry."  
Harry didn't have time to reply to that because the tallest Witchfinder with a red sash shouted, "Forward!" in a fuzzy, but loud voice. The surrounding Witchfinders gave a terrible roar and surged towards them, their torches held high.  
"BREAK NORTH NOW!" bellowed Harry, firing off stunners at the charging Witchfinders, turned and dashed directly at the ones blocking the way to the north. He heard a multitude of spell casts, shouts, screams, and discerned someone sobbing. Whirling, he saw Cho trying to urge on a hysterical Marietta as Witchfinders closed in. "Cho! Get her moving!" he shouted desperately.  
But he was too late, as Cho looked up at him three Witchfinders reached them. Cho twisted and got one with a stunner, he disappeared immediately, but the other two were already on top of her. She screamed as the one on the left seized her, Harry dashed forward, but quite suddenly Cho and the Witchfinder were gone, simply vanished as though they never existed. The second Witchfinder brought his torch down on Marietta's head, she was sobbing uncontrollably, she didn't even look up as she and her assailant disappeared.  
Not stopping to puzzle out this strange occurrence, Harry turned and looked around, the D.A. were running north, fighting as best they could as Witchfinders swarmed like ants around them. "There's too many mate!" shouted Ron as he blasted two out of his way, several torch-wielding figures still barred their path. The blocking Witchfinders were trying their best to cut them off and herd them back to the main group, coming up close behind.  
Harry deflected a torch swing aimed at Lavender, "On three, everyone throws shockwave spells! On, Two, Three!"  
"Down!" Harry heard the indistinct shout of the tall, Witchfinder officer at the same time he said three. In all directions the Witchfinders flung themselves underneath the shockwaves fired by the D.A. Enraged Harry hurled himself forward at the officer as he came up from under Hermione's shockwave, seizing the torch of a prone Witchfinder he hurled it with all his strength, the officer took the fiery missile full in the face and disappeared with a shriek. "Scatter and get out! Meet at the treeline!" Harry roared, jumping over the still prostrate attackers and sprinting for the trees he could see in the distance. Flashes, shouts and explosions pounded on his brain as he dashed away from the battle, trusting the others to follow him, as they had done in the training.  
He did not stop until he had reached the treeline, turning he shot off a large purple firecracker from his wand. Within moments a sorry looking group assembled around him. Hermione was there, wheezing and leaning on an equally exhausted Ron. Michael Corner and Dean stumbled up to him from the left. Ernie MacMillan and Susan Bones were the only Hufflepuffs present. The last to arrive was Colin Creevey, urging along a decidedly tired looking Luna and Neville.  
Harry looked around bleakly, "This is all? This is all that made it?"  
"Katie went to help Hannah and Justin," Ernie explained, "I didn't see any of them after that."  
"Parvati, Lavender, Seamus?"  
Dean shook his head, "I saw them go down under at least thirty of those gits, they never had a chance."  
Harry stared at Dean frantically, "Ginny?" Dean just shook his head, indicating he had no answer, Harry felt a boiling anger at him but forced it down. "This is not enough, this is not enough." He looked around, but there was no sign of any other members arriving, he had to assume they'd all been vanished. All he could see were flickering torches closing rapidly on their position.  
Harry shook himself out of his shock and stood straight again, "All right, I want everyone to leave at least two trip jinxes here, when we get into the forest use them as much as possible." He stared at the encroaching Witchfinders, "We're going to need a serious edge to outrun these buggers. Let's move! We've still got a mile to cover!" He turned and plunged into the trees.  
"What happens to us when they attack us?" he gasped to Hermione as they dodged in and out of the trees, leaving trip jinxes and other surprises as they went.  
"It seems as though it's just a simple teleportation spell," Hermione gasped, holding her side painfully, "I think that's all they really are, just glorified portkeys."  
"Yeah," replied Corner savagely, "portkeys that try to light you on fire, what the hell was Binns thinking?"  
"Ask him when we get back!" snarled Ron, performing a disillusionment charm on a large tree, a rather brilliant move that turned every tree into a potential obstacle for the pursuing Witchfinders. Harry could still see the harsh lights of their torches following behind like a sky of hostile stars.  
They kept together this time, urging each other on, practically carrying those who couldn't keep going. Finally Harry saw a silver light among the trees. "There's the end point!" he shouted, fervently hoping it was true, Dumbledore hadn't really specified what the end point would look like. Just then the entire line of trees behind him burst into flames as a torrent of black-clad attacks poured after them. Harry could hear them chanting, "Burn! Burn! Burn!" in those indistinct voices of theirs.  
"Let's go!" shouted Ron and the group ran like never before, a dark tide of speckled flames and blackness swept after them. Harry and Ron were helping a fainting Colin when the remainder of the D.A. burst into a clearing in the trees. Shining in the center of the clearing was another silver orb like the one Dumbledore had given Grawp. Harry left Colin to Ron and dashed up to it, seizing it in his fist he silently willed the magic timer to run down before the Witchfinders could arrive. He put the entire group close enough to be transported.  
Just as he felt the familiar jerk, he saw a disheveled and singed Ginny dash up, leading Anthony Goldstein and Dennis Creevey. Then he felt the familiar jerk as the remaining D.A. members transported back to the middle of the Quidditch pitch. Looking around at his exhausted and wrung out army Harry could only shake his head, "Merlin, this was a disaster." 


	58. Chapter 57: The Storm Shall Gather

I've been very busy lately, it's midterms week and then Spring Break, I'll do my best, but I don't know if there will be many postings in the next two weeks. I am so sorry, I myself am just as eager to write out the ending I have in mind, but I need to complete this part of the story first. Keep reviewing and let me know how I'm doing, thanks to those who are sticking with me!  
  
Chapter 57: The Storm Shall Gather  
"Well Harry," Dumbledore said, helping him up off the turf, "I see you managed to complete the challenge, well done." He looked around at the disheveled group, "You seem to have met some difficulty."  
Harry didn't really know what to say to that, so he nodded and looked around. The thirteen members who had managed to make it to the end point were all grouped together, their emotions ranged from surprise to disgust. The nine who had been taken down by the Witchfinders were standing a short distance away; several looked very shaken up, especially Marietta Edgecomb and Hannah Abbot.  
Harry sighed and shook his head, "Boy I really screwed up on this one."  
"Don't make the mistake of thinking a defeat is a failure Harry." Dumbledore said cryptically and then walked over to confer with Professor McGonagall.  
Harry scratched his head, this sure felt like a failure to him. But then again Dumbledore was right, failure and defeat weren't necessarily the same thing. The trouble with that was he couldn't see any difference here. He'd failed to keep his people together in the face of the Witchfinders; barely half had made it to the end point. He now had serious doubts about the rest of the challenges. This one had been set down by Professor Binns, the next one might be Moody or even Snape, and Harry couldn't help but wonder if they were destined for failure in this endeavor.  
Ron and Hermione approached him tentatively, looking worn out and concerned. "Harry mate..." Ron began tentatively, then stopped as if to gauge his reaction.  
Hermione shook his head, "Look Harry just..."  
Harry interrupted her curtly, "Forget it, get everyone together." he turned away, hearing them move away calling to the others. He heard them gathering around him, and for a long moment he didn't want to turn around and face them. He could almost feel the accusation in their gaze.  
When he did turn he found he was both right and wrong, most of them looked bone-weary, only Michael Corner and Marietta Edgecomb looked truly accusatory. Hannah Abbot looked terrified and shaken. All were a little battered and singed, none looked their best.  
Harry looked around and met each pair of eyes in turn, "Before we get into anything else, anyone who is dissatisfied or wants out can leave now." He ran the length of the D.A. with his eyes again, waiting to see if anyone broke.  
Marietta sniffed, rubbed her eyes, and turned to leave. Cho started to go to her, but Marietta jerked away and ran towards the castle. Harry looked around; Michael Corner glared, but stood his ground, taking Cho's hand. Hannah Abbot twitched and gave a small sob, but she too did not leave. Harry smiled slowly, "Well now that that's done, congratulations to you all for fighting hard and for doing your best."  
Corner snorted, "We got our bums handed to us."  
"But, more than half of us made it through," Harry returned, "that is what makes the difference. So we didn't do so well here, no big deal! We pick it up; put it behind us and RUDDY DESTROY THE NEXT ONE!"  
Somehow, despite the fact that they had all looked dead beat one moment before, many of the D.A. managed to raise cheers. Harry felt better about his loss knowing that at least their spirit wasn't broken. He dismissed them, telling them to get a lot of rest because he planned to start harder training for the next challenges.  
"Nice speech," Ginny said, smiling her mischievous smile, "you're becoming a regular General Potter."  
Harry snorted, "Not bloody likely, generals are brilliant strategists, and I hardly think anything about my strategy back there was brilliant."  
"Yeah it was tough, but you did well Harry, you got most of them there in one piece." Ginny said kindly.  
"It's only thanks to you we had more than a 50 percent survival rate," Harry reminded her, "I get the feeling that was the difference between a pass and a fail, if there is such a thing in this.. Well I really don't know what to call it." He finished lamely.  
"Challenge competition?" Hermione supplied, the three of them and Ron were the only ones left out on the pitch besides the teachers.  
"Well it's better than nothing." Ron said dubiously, earning him a glare from Hermione and rolled eyes from Ginny, "What?"  
"Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, approaching them, "I hope you have been practicing your Occlumency, I'd like you to come to my office tomorrow evening for your first lesson, I believe you may need instruction in Legilimency as well so come prepared."  
"But sir..." Harry began.  
Dumbledore held up a hand, "We'll discuss it during lessons Harry, I'll give you my reasons then, it's not something to be discussed openly." Harry shut his mouth and nodded; Dumbledore winked at them and disappeared up towards the school.  
Harry turned around, but only Ron and Hermione were still waiting for him, he looked at his friends, "Ginny?"  
Ron jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Dean came for her. Git." He added under his breath, Hermione elbowed him and he fell silent.  
Harry only said, "Ah, let's go." even though he now felt a boiling frustration to complement his embarrassment over the challenge. Hermione gave him a discerning look, but Harry ignored her and followed after Dumbledore.  
  
* * *  
  
"Very good Harry!" Dumbledore praised him as Harry struggled to get up from the cushions he had fallen on. "You are managing to throw off the curse with less effort I see!"  
"It still dumps me on my head though," Harry grumbled in annoyance, "I wish I could take it standing up."  
"Most witches and wizards might be able to," Dumbledore said, helping him up, "I'm afraid the same principle that makes you susceptible to the Dementors' powers works the same way here."  
"You mean my past?" Harry asked.  
"Yes, and the trauma you have fought and endured has made its mark on you, the Legilimency curse automatically gravitates to those parts of your mind because it is far easier to penetrate those memories." Dumbledore looked at him sadly, "That is the reason I wanted you to begin practice again.  
"Why is that sir?" Harry was mesmerized.  
"Voldemort was personally inside your mind that night at the Ministry, he saw much of those memories and now knows them as an avenue into your thoughts, it becomes all the more important for you to be able to drive him out, I have no doubt he will do his best to exploit that avenue sometime in the near future."  
"What makes you think that? He hasn't tried since last year." Harry remarked, a chill creeping up his spine. He remembered all too well the excruciating pain of having Voldemort in his head, it had been so bad he had wanted to die, and that scared him most of all.  
"Because Harry, outside events have led me to believe that our earlier estimations of Voldemort's strength were inaccurate." Dumbledore said seriously.  
'Oh great, more good news.' Harry thought, "Did we miss something?" was what he said out loud.  
"I believe we have Harry. Before I spoke to you last term I received a report that several known Death Eaters had departed for an expedition to France. It was assumed they were to direct the movements of the giants. However, I have recently discovered evidence that they never left the country, and that worries me greatly."  
"What could they have been doing sir?" Harry was getting a bad feeling about the answer.  
"I cannot say for sure," Dumbldore shook his head, "but they have been missing for a long while, and I fear what they have been doing." He removed his glasses, "We are done for today. I trust you will be discreet about this information?"  
"Of course sir." Harry said quietly, rubbing his scar, wondering if that throbbing was Voldemort's pleasure over his possible newfound strength, or just a headache, he wasn't too sure anymore. 


	59. Chapter 58: Round Two

I've been on a vacation for a while, but I'm back now and ready to write some more, I'm going to make a serious effort to finish this story before the school year ends. Keep reviewing please, I'd like to get more new reviews too. Thank you very much to all of you who have stuck by me through this.  
  
Chapter 58: Round Two  
Harry trained the D.A. hard for the next two weeks, only his classes and (of course) Quidditch took up more of his time. But all he could think of was to memorize more spells and practice handling opponents. His worry was that knowing those things hadn't particularly helped them against the determined assault of the massed Witchfinders. He wondered what was needed to help them defeat the next challenge, Dumbledore still hadn't told him who would be giving it.  
Realizing that all of his remaining D.A. members were already effective spellcasters with a variety of spells in their itineraries he decided the flaw was obviously in some other area. He cast about for a week, thinking over every aspect of the problem while taking his Firebolt out for a flight or in between classes, he even went down and had a chat with Hagrid after a lively Care of Magical Creatures lesson involving a couple of very violent earth elementals.  
"Well Harry," Hagrid said thoughtfully, "yeh know there's lots more too it than just spell. Dumbledore said this when we was first formin' the Order, yeh've got to work well together, he had us workin' in teams of people all workin' together with each other and with the other teams toward common goals. Yeh're dad was in charge of one, so was Neville's ole dad, an o' course Moody and Dorcas ran one each."  
"What about my mum?" Harry asked curiously.  
Hagrid chuckled with a far off look in his eyes, "She'd have never been parted from James, those two were always together no matter what."  
Harry smiled; it was good to hear Hagrid say that, after that incident with Snape's memories he'd doubted whether or not his mother had really loved his father. He still wished he knew more about it, but he wasn't about to let Snape's memories cause him to lose faith in the kind of people his parents had been. He polished off his tea, "So you think I should do the same thing?" he asked Hagrid.  
"Well I don't pretend to be no strategy expert Harry." Hagrid shifted nervously, "But if I may say so, yeh've got a lot o' different people to keep under control and there are jest some things yeh can't do by yerself. Get some people you think would be good and let them handle some o' the load. Divide an' conquer yeh know?"  
"Thanks Hagrid." Harry said, already halfway to the door. He began running through candidates for these group leaders as he made his way back up to the castle for dinner. Obviously he would have to divide most of his group by their Houses; inter-school rivalry was as rampant in the D.A. as it was everywhere else at Hogwarts and he didn't want to ruffle too many feathers if he could help it. So who would they be? He immediately thought of Hermione, but then he thought of Ron. Neither would ever be able to take orders from the other. 'I'd better retain those two.' He thought, shuddering at the image of Ron and Hermione starting to bicker in the middle of a challenge.  
He thought about it all day, narrowly avoiding ruining his potion with Snape hovering over him. He let Krum and Professor Tofty introduce a new spell to the expanded D.A. so he could watch each of his members teach, hoping it would help him decide. Later that night he decided to call a meeting as soon as possible, Professor McGonagall had informed him that the next person to present them a challenge would be none other than Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody.  
This bit of information was greeted with nervous looks and much fidgeting when he told the D.A. "This is going to be a difficult challenge," Harry said, they were in the Room of Requirement after classes, "I've met this bloke and believe me he's the epitome of a hardass. (Hermione shook her finger at him.) That fake Moody wasn't too far off in his impersonation."  
"What kind of challenge do you think he'll give Harry?" inquired Susan Bones.  
"I'd bet anything I own it will be something none of us will ever expect." Harry said, thinking of the grizzled Auror's devotion to preparation and caution. He cleared his throat, "I've decided to make some changes to help our coordination and teamwork. We'll be split into sub- teams of a few people, that way I can send different groups to accomplish different things, anyone have a problem with that?"  
He looked directly at Michael Corner, but Corner looked quite content. Everyone else did not seem to find his plan objectionable. Harry took a deep breath and hoped he had chosen right, hopefully they'd still be placid at the end of the division.  
In the end he decided on four teams, not counting himself, Ron and Hermione. Ginny would lead the first one consisting of; Dean, Seamus, and the Creevey brothers. He was worried that Dean or Seamus might resent being put under her, but Seamus told Harry he had no desire to be in charge of anything, and Dean seemed content to follow her lead.  
Katie led Neville, Luna, Parvati, and Lavender, seeing as she was the senior student Harry felt she deserved the position, although Neville might have been able to do just as well. Harry knew Parvati and Lavender were put off by Luna's weirdness, but Katie wasn't a Quidditch captain for nothing and could manage conflicts with practiced ease.  
Susan Bones led the Hufflepuffs; Ernie was far too pompous for the others to take his orders seriously. Hannah Abbot had displayed an alarming habit of losing her composure and needed a firm hand to keep her coherent, putting her in charge was just asking for trouble. Justin, like Seamus, would rather come from behind than be, as he put it; "Out in front where you're more likely to be the first one to run into something nasty."  
Lastly Harry left the remaining Ravenclaws to Michael Corner. He knew Michael was the most hostile to his orders, but knew how to handle him, if he disobeyed someone else, Harry might not be on hand to put him back in his place. Besides, Cho, Anthony, and Terry shouldn't have any problems with him, being his girlfriend and best friends.  
Once the teams were set all Harry could do was sit back and wait for Moody's challenge with foreboding. He figured with Ron and Hermione with him he'd be able to maintain much better control of his group.  
At least that was what he was telling himself when Moody, suddenly appeared around a corner a week later, thoroughly freaking him out. The sinister magical eye stared right through him, "Time to brief you on your challenge Potter." he growled, "Get your people together."  
After his heart had slowed down to a manageable pace he pulled out the old Galleon Hermione had made and called upon the D.A. They all arrived in bits and pieces, ones, twos and threes. Standing around in small groups they muttered with foreboding, casting apprehensive glances at the imposing Auror behind Harry. When they were all assembled Moody gave a jerk of his head to indicate they should follow him.  
"Take it easy," Harry whispered to them as they fell into step, Moody could probably hear him, but Harry didn't care. "He just said it was a briefing." He was gratified to see everyone relax a little more. Moody just kept stumping along as though nothing had taken place.  
He led them deeper into the castle, through secret passages that Harry had only seen on the Marauders' map and down into the dungeons. Harry was just about to ask why on earth Moody had chosen this area for a business meeting when they passed into a large round room with several archways, a table and chairs were set in the middle, enough for everyone.  
In a hurry to get this creepy meeting over and done with the D.A. members seated themselves quickly and looked expectantly to the head of the table. Mad-Eye Moody stumped to the head of the table, nodded once, and then stepped backward through the nearest gateway. "Begin." He growled, his sinister eye swiveling.  
"Hey!' shouted Harry, as the D.A. looked on in confusion, "What the bloody hell is..."  
Iron portcullises smashed down over every exit, Moody continued looking at them calmly, as though nothing was wrong. Harry opened his mouth to say something else, but what he saw shut him up.  
All along the walls of the chamber figures were springing into view as their disillusionment charms were removed. Each wore a black cloak and hood concealing its face, and each had a wand. There was one black figure for each D.A. member.  
"Here we go again." Muttered Ginny, standing up and raising her wand. 


	60. Chapter 59: Rise to the Occasion

*voxenking* Welcome! It's always good to have new reviewers, keep reading please!  
  
*Archelaus* Thanks for your review, I myself wish JKR had provided more spells for me to use, I'm not very good at making them up, I made some attempts in this chapter, if you have any ideas let me know. Thank you for you input.  
  
Special thanks to my most frequent reviewers Melindaleo, Jedi Buttercup, Rocky235, and Raine an Frodo. Your encouragement and support is greatly appreciated.  
  
Lastly to the "anonymus" reviewer, if you're going to insult me sign your name. It's not easy, I'm doing my best to go quickly. If you want good chapters then expect time delay, I want this to be a good story and according to you it is. Be a little more patient.  
  
Chapter 59: Rise to the Occasion  
"Backs to the table!" shouted Harry, "everyone pick an opponent and go for an individual duel! Watch each others backs and help out if you see someone in trouble."  
The bewildered D.A. surged to their feet as the cloaked figures brought up their wands. Harry dashed forward with Ron and Hermione right behind him; Moody still stood watching on the other side of the gate. Harry pointed his wand at a figure in front of him and shouted, "Petrificus Limbus!"  
His target's arms snapped to its sides as the arm-locking curse hit it, while it was thus impaired Harry ran forward and drove his shoulder into its chest and sent it crashing to the ground. He was ready with a full body bind when his target's hood slipped off. Despite the pitched battle being waged around him Harry stopped dead, staring down at his opponent.  
Hermione's face stared back at him.  
Turning Harry saw Hermione attacking the figure to his left; she had been running right behind him moments before. He glanced from one to the other, momentarily confused, was he attacking the right person? Who was the real Hermione? That question was quickly answered when the prone Hermione, despite her paralyzed arms, lashed out with a leg and took him off his feet.  
Harry landed hard, but didn't let it stop him. Angry at being confused by the disguise he raised his wand in his hand and kicked out, sending her crashing into the wall. She fell unconscious, and Harry rolled over still seething. "Everybody back to the center now!" he shouted, scrambling up and hurtling back to the table, he leapt up on it as the rest struggled to disentangle themselves from their opponents and get back to him.  
Most of them made it without too much difficulty, Neville and Ernie caught a banishing spell from one of the attackers and crashed into the table rather than stopping at it, but both pulled themselves up immediately and joined the rest now standing on the table with Harry. "What's going on?" asked Katie, firing off a shockwave spell.  
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but found he didn't have to. As one, most of the surrounding figures reached up and removed their cloaks; each looked like an exact replica of one member of the D.A. Everyone stared in shock for a long moment. "Why that crafty, decrepit, old nutter," Ron glared at Moody, who was still watching impassively, "how did he think of a ruddy idea like this?"  
"They must be a tribe of Tecklatracs," remarked Luna, looking at the surrounding copies in dreamy excitement, "they take the form of that which they hate most."  
"We can debate what they are later," Harry said hurriedly, as Hermione opened her mouth to retort, "right now we've got slightly more important things to do."  
"How do we fight them?" asked Susan, staring wildly in all directions, the attackers in question were circling the group, firing off spells from a safe distance. Everyone in the D.A. had cast a shield charm; the overlapping shields had thus far deflected everything the copies had thrown at them.  
"We can't fight one on one!" yelled Ginny, as sparks hissed off her shield from a powerful hit. "If we get disorganized we'll be fighting each other!"  
With those words it hit Harry, "That's what this challenge is about," he whispered to himself, glancing over at Moody, "organization, wanting to know if I organized them into a team. Well Mad-Eye, let's find out."  
"Split off into your teams!" he ordered quickly, "Get down on the floor back to back with everyone facing outward! Fight like that, if you need to move, tell your team leader, you will only move if your team leader tells you to! If you get hit and go down, do not try to rejoin the group, stay down and do what you can from the floor, I don't want anyone hitting a teammate. Go!" He leapt off the table, placing his back to Ron and Hermione's he yelled, "Left!" and they began moving slowly in that direction.  
The next few minutes passed in a barely controlled whirl, Harry had a flurry of images; Luna enthusiastically blasting the copy of Neville with sparks while asking it questions about whether or not it really was a Tecklatrac, Seamus falling out of his group to attack his own copy and earning a shout from Ginny and an odd spell from his copy that caused him to spin around in place faster and faster.  
The Hufflepuffs were faring well under the strain; even Hannah Abbot seemed boosted by the proximity of her teammates. They were working effectively with Katie's group to clear the northern section of the room. Ginny's group was being extremely aggressive despite the loss of Seamus to the rotating spell, moving in tandem they had accounted for the copies of Seamus, Cho and Dennis Creevey. The Ravenclaws were doing fairly well, though Michael Corner seemed to have difficulty figuring out what orders to give.  
Harry blocked a black, wavy something and flicked a banishing spell at his opponent. So far he had laid out the copies of Hermione and Parvati, Ron had accounted for the counterfeit Ernie and Justin, and Hermione had the best record, having downed the replicas of Michael, Luna, Dean and Hannah. So far the only casualties on the D.A.'s side were Seamus, now rotating at an incredible rate, Anthony Goldstein, Colin Creevey, and Lavender lay stunned on the floor next to Seamus, she had broken ranks to help him.  
Harry was beginning to feel very good as the last of the copies began to fall; they had done it with few losses, much better than last time. Just as he thought this he saw the Ravenclaw team literally come apart at the seams, Cho, Michael and Terry all flew in different directions as the one figure who hadn't removed its cloak landed in the middle of them, none of the Ravenclaws got up from where they had been thrown.  
Harry was preparing to move in that direction when he heard Hermione whisper, "Ron?" He turned swiftly to see her hesitating, her wand aimed at the copy of Ron, but she couldn't see it was a copy; the real Ron was behind her. She seemed indecisive, unwilling to fire a spell at Ron, Harry dove forward but wasn't in time to block the curse that knocked her to the floor unconscious.  
"Hermione!" roared Ron, catching her as she fell, his face turned wrathful, his ears scarlet, he looked up at his copy. There was a resounding boom that rattled the portcullises and the fake Ron hit the far wall with backbreaking force. Ron lowered his wand and turned his attention to Hermione, holding her gently trying to help her wake up.  
Harry barely had time to turn, before the last cloaked figure smashed into him, gripping his opponent tightly they rolled over and over. Harry punched the attacker in the stomach and kicked him off. They came to rest in the middle of a circle of D.A. members, facing each other, the cloak had slipped off.  
Harry found himself staring into his own face, the copy was his. Both had their wands pointed at each other, Harry could see the confusion and indecision in the faces of those surrounding him. "Nobody do anything stupid!" he shouted, not taking his eyes off the copy, "I'll handle this!"  
The copy looked at him dourly, seemingly without emotion, for a long second they simply faced each other. Then the copy brought up his wand so fast Harry almost missed it, 'Am I really that quick?' he thought as he reflected the silver arrow of light, back at his twin. The copy dodged fluidly and regained his feet in time to block Harry's stunner, (this time Dean remembered to duck as it zipped by) and send a leg-locker curse at him.  
Harry leapt above the curse, 'Okay, he's just like me, so maybe he thinks like me.' This was a disturbing thought, 'How do I go about fooling myself?' He didn't have the first idea, presumably this replica could think of anything Harry himself could, so the only way to beat him was to do something he would never do normally. But what?  
He spared a slight glance in the direction of the silently watching Auror. 'This is my test eh Mad-Eye? Seeing if I can think outside the box?' Harry cursed Moody's deviousness repeatedly before concentrating on his opponent again.  
Staring into his own eyes was disconcerting to an extreme; Harry desperately tried to come up with a spell he would never normally use. He wracked his brains while he and his copy exchanged useless spells and counterspells, at least the copy wasn't having any better luck getting the jump on Harry.  
Harry was becoming more and more frustrated by the moment, nothing he could think of worked, the copy seemed able to read his mind and avoid any attack. As he ducked another silver arrow Harry hit on a memory from long ago, before he knew much magic, before he had spells to solve his problems. He recalled a conversation regarding the first duel he was ever going to fight, 'What if I wave my wand and nothing happens?' 'Throw it away and punch him in the nose.'  
Harry nodded, "Okay." Dropping his wand he slugged his copy as hard as he could in the face. The copy's head snapped back, his mouth open in surprise, his wand flew out of his hand. Ginny leapt up and caught it; apparently the unorthodox move had convinced her which one was the real Harry. Harry kept up his assault, driving a knee into his opponent's gut and throwing him to the ground. The copy doubled up in pain as Harry hurriedly snatched up his discarded wand and aimed it at him.  
The copy stared up at him with the same dour expression, its emerald eyes blank and empty, it spoke for the first time Harry remembered; "Neither can live while the other survives," it almost smiled, "you're going to die."  
"STUPEFY!" roared Harry, his copy slumped back and lay still.  
He stared at his own crumpled body for a long time, and then looked up at his disheveled but victorious team. Ron was helping Hermione up, holding onto her possessively, Seamus had stopped spinning with Dean and Neville's help, the rest were looking at him in confusion or wonder.  
With a scraping clang the portcullises lifted up and the bodies of the copies faded away like they had never existed. Moody stumped to the center of the room on his wooden leg. His magical eye spun several times, taking in the entire group. Lastly it fell on Harry, "Good," he growled, "adequate, you may go now."  
Trying not to meet anyone's eyes Harry nodded to the Auror and slowly began making his way out of the room. Everyone collected themselves and followed him, there was some backslapping and congratulations, but Harry didn't really feel like celebrating. Why had the copy said that? Why had his been the only one to speak? He didn't know and he didn't really want to know, he was tired of questions without answers, he had too many of them already.  
They began to split up and go their separate ways once they had reached the entrance hall. Everyone looked at Harry expectantly, but when he didn't say anything they began drifting away towards their respective common rooms. Hermione and Ron approached tentatively, as though he might explode. "Harry..." Hermione began, Ron still hovering over her protectively.  
"I don't want to talk about it," he said firmly, good job out there today, tell everyone that." He hurried to the main doors; the last thing he saw before he escaped into the sunlight was Ginny's sympathetic face.  
By the time he had taken two steps into the grounds he was running. He dashed through the fading sunlight, not stopping until he reached the lake. He stared out over the sunset reflected in the water as the giant squid did lazy laps.  
  
He wasn't going to die, he wasn't!  
  
He wanted to live!  
  
It wasn't fair; they couldn't ask this of him. Just because some crackpot seer had decided to say it should be that way Harry had to deal with Voldemort on his back for his entire life. Now because of that damn seer it was him or Harry, if the prophecy had never come to light Harry never would have lost his parents, Voldemort would never have come after him and he wouldn't be here preparing for a battle he didn't think he could ever win.  
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he missed the telltale sound of Moody's wooden leg until the Auror drew alongside him. Both the normal and magical eye were fixed on the dying sun. "Damn leg," Moody growled, "takes bloody forever to catch someone now."  
At this point Harry didn't really care about Moody's leg, in fact he wished the old Auror would shove that crazy eye into someone else's business. He was about to suggest this when Moody cleared his throat and spoke again. "I apologize for that, they weren't supposed to be able to speak, each one had some of the person's knowledge put into them to better imitate their habits and reactions. I see now maybe I did it a little too well." He looked at Harry, but his eyes were cold, severe, "If you want sympathy for your position go ask someone else, I don't have any."  
Anger flashed in Harry, where the bloody hell did this crippled and decrepit old Auror get off telling him this?! He opened his mouth, but Moody interrupted.  
"I respect what has happened to you, I really do, I've been there myself. But we can't let our past and our fears rule our lives, you in particular. A lot of people, everybody really, is depending on you so there's no real time for the past. We all have a time in our lives where we have to rise to the occasion and become what we were meant to be. It won't be easy, it never is, if it was we would never talk about it. So are you going to rise to the occasion and win through?" his voice was deadpan, simple, "Or are you going to knuckle under and die? Your choice you know, that's all I have to say."  
He turned and stumped off towards the castle. Harry was left alone, watching the sun fall behind the hills. As the last light gave way to darkness Harry wondered if Moody's words had been meant to offer some kind of comfort. He could find none. 'Maybe there isn't any to be had.' he thought, and somehow that was a freeing thought. A tiny flame flared to life inside him as the darkness claimed his world. 


	61. Chapter 60: The Future

Welcome to new reviewers: Opside and LiL AcE ViLLa. Thank you to my continuing reviewers and to Archelaus and Dzeytoun, your input was sound and greatly appreciated.  
  
The first part of this chapter is dedicated to one of my most faithful reviewers, Melindaleo, this is just a little of what you've been asking for; you'll get it all in the end, you'll be stressed before then, but trust me, it'll come.  
  
Chapter 60: The Future  
Harry didn't really fancy standing out there in the cold night by himself, so he followed Moody's trail back up to the castle. Upon entering the Great Hall he saw Moody having a heated conversation with Professor McGonagall, probably about their recent encounter. Moody seemed unapologetic, well Harry wasn't surprised about that. The grizzled Auror was more like a drill sergeant than anything else.  
Professor McGonagall saw him, but Harry didn't like the idea of a chat with her any more than another lecture from Moody. He hurried out of the hall towards the Gryffindor Tower. He was in such a rush he almost ran down Ginny, he screeched to a halt right in front of her concerned face.  
She looked at him in surprise as well as concern; apparently she hadn't expected to see him there. "Harry! Are you all right?"  
Harry honestly didn't have an answer to that so he just lowered his head and said, "I'm okay."  
Ginny shook her head quietly, "No, no you're not. Come on, it's almost time for curfew. We don't want to be seen in the halls when Filch starts his rounds." She pulled out his invisibility cloak and handed it to him. Harry looked at her in disbelief, "What? I borrowed it. You don't want to go back to the common room right now; Seamus is throwing an impromptu party in honor of how we did today."  
Reluctantly Harry threw the cloak over them, unsure of their close proximity. Ginny seemed just as ill at ease about it, she kept as much distance as the cloak allowed as she led him to the Room of Requirement. When they went in Harry was surprised to see the comfy sitting room he had spoken with Dumbledore in on the first day of the new D.A. meetings. He was getting used to seeing the large D.A. teaching room, or the private training room.  
He went over and sat in one of the armchairs as Ginny busily folded up the cloak. She sat in the other as he stared into the flames, "So did you draw the short straw or something?" he asked.  
She smiled quietly, "Hermione was all for hunting you down and talking you to death. But Ron's still a bit hung up on how she got hit today; I left them in a bit of an argument. Since they were preoccupied I figured someone should go find you. Seeing as you're feeling a bit morose I figured I'd better not expose you to them just yet."  
Harry felt a smile tug at his lip slightly; "Thanks." was all he said about it.  
Ginny looked at him seriously, "You should tell them Harry, they'll get it out of you sooner or later, Hermione is already suspicious."  
"What's the point?" Harry asked bitterly, "Given what this comes down to what difference does it make if they know or not?"  
Ginny's eyes narrowed, "Do you think what that copy said is true, is that what this is?"  
Harry stared into the flickering flames, "He's strong Ginny," he said quietly, "stronger than I'll ever be."  
"No he's not," she replied firmly, "he's stronger now, but that doesn't make a difference to when you have to face him, you can't know what the future holds..."  
"But I do!" interrupted Harry, "Dammit Ginny, that's what a prophecy is! I know that if I don't kill him, he's going to kill me! And as the odds are stacked now survival doesn't look to be a likely prospect."  
"Stop it Harry!" Ginny shot back, "Why think like this?! Is this what you want to happen?!"  
That tore it for Harry; He slumped back in his chair brokenly. He saw that Ginny looked horrified for a moment, before he bowed his head. "I don't want to die." he said quietly.  
"Harry..." Ginny murmured, leaning towards him, "I know you don't." Before either of them knew what was happening she was holding him.  
"How am I ever going to do this?" he asked no one in particular.  
"You don't have to do it alone, everyone here will help you any way they can."  
"But in the end it's only me and him." Harry said dourly, pulling his face up. "Nobody can help me then."  
Ginny's face was set, "We'll make sure you're ready by then."  
Harry stared into her eyes and believed it, "Thank you."  
For once she did not pull away, but held him tightly, "Just doing my best to help Harry." Harry held her in kind, feeling that maybe there was some comfort to be had, he certainly felt better.  
He heard a throat being clear precipitously, "I hope we're not intruding." The two jerked up to see Dumbledore stepping out of the shadows. Moody was behind him.  
Both Harry and Ginny jumped up, "Not at all sir!" Ginny said, a decided squeak in her voice, "I was just leaving, see you in the common room okay Harry?" She whisked around the Headmaster and was gone.  
Harry felt slightly annoyed at these two, just when things seemed to be getting good. He looked at the Headmaster and Auror, "What is it sir?" He tried to keep the bite out of his voice.  
However it was Moody who stepped forward, "I owe you an apology Potter," he growled, "given everything you've done I sometimes forget you're not one of my trainees, even though you may be some time in the future." His magical eye spun, "You've done well, better than anyone would have expected. Just to let you know, I don't have any doubts about how this is going to play out." He grinned, a scary sight but it was a grin, "You shouldn't either, and that was what I was trying to say." He nodded to Dumbledore, apparently having said his piece he stumped out the door.  
Dumbledore came and sat down in one of the chairs, "I apologize for Moody as well Harry," he said quietly, "he takes his job too seriously at times. He's determined to make everyone else strong, if he's harsh that only means he has greater respect for your character and how much you can handle." His eyes twinkled, "You should hear him talk to Remus some time."  
Harry grinned in spite of himself; the idea that one of the best Aurors in history thought highly enough of him to lecture him like an adult was therapeutic in an odd way. He still preferred Ginny's way of showing confidence, but he couldn't very well expect that of Mad-Eye Moody.  
Dumbledore sat quietly while Harry thought of this, finally he spoke. "I will not tell you what you should do, but I do not think it advisable to dwell on future events. We have much to do before the conclusion and not even I can tell you all of it, I do not know." He smiled kindly at Harry, "Do not let your future rule your present Harry, it will take care of itself.  
Harry mulled this over as well, decided to shelve all this intensity for now and nodded firmly. "Thank you sir, was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?  
"Yes Harry as a matter of fact, I just wanted to clear something up. As you are well aware, the sword of Godric Gryffindor is still missing." Harry tensed; he'd tried not to bother with this, but had found himself thinking about it anyway. He still thought it was Malfoy, and the eavesdropped conversation between Malfoy and Snape only reinforced the idea.  
Dumbledore continued, "The theft of the sword from my own office is highly disturbing, the evidence suggests we have yet another possible spy in our midst. Given your... colorful past, I believe you will be looking into this matter whether I like it or not." Harry grinned, yes he, Ron, and Hermione had quite a history of interference with investigations.  
"Therefore, I am giving you permission to research and pursue this case on your own time, should you so choose. I only ask that you come to me directly if you discover anything relevant and do not attempt to take action on your own. Last time that happened I believe Ms. Granger spent an inordinate amount of time in the hospital wing with fur."  
Harry started and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, he didn't want to know how the Headmaster had found out about the Polyjuice Potion in second year. At least he had been tactful and not mentioned Harry's trip to the Ministry last year.  
Dumbledore smiled, "Now, I believe you are missing an excellent party thrown by your subordinates." He got up and moved to the door, "Oh and tell Mr. Finnigan that ten points will be taken from Gryffindor for the firewhiskey in the punch."  
Harry grinned in spite of how he had been feeling, then a thought struck him, "But sir, we're already very busy, what with the D.A. and the extra training, and Quidditch, not to mention class. How do you expect us to find the time?"  
Dumbledore looked unexpectedly grave, "As I said Harry, you never know what the future holds." And he was gone, leaving Harry with the smile wiped off his face. 


	62. Chapter 61: Floodgates

Great reviews, I'm glad so many people are connecting with and enjoying this little tale of mine. People have been clamoring for more of the Reaper. Here is a short chapter about him, don't worry, you'll be seeing plenty of him in the future as his work for Voldemort continues and his own little agendas come into play.  
  
Chapter 61: Floodgates  
  
The abandoned factory echoed with the roistering of dozens of vampires as they fought, drank, and laughed at insignificant cruelties. A mass of pale figures, yellow eyes, and pointed fangs mixed with the dancing shadows of the moonlight shining through the windows.  
  
Through the main office window high above the factory floor the Reaper looked at the gathered dark creatures with a kind of fierce pride, they were his after all. Of course he hadn't made any of them himself; he'd never wanted 'kids' at any time. They were mostly nomads, wanderers in the world of shadow and darkness. They'd come from all over Europe, flocking to fight for spoils and blood in the name of the legendary vampire with the scythe.  
  
He'd been kept up to speed very well on recent events by his spies and scouts; he fondly thought he had a network that would rival Voldemort's. Plus he'd had a harder time setting it up; vampires were notoriously hard to pass off as normal people. Generally they were too sullen, or too fierce to not arouse suspicion. Also people tended to notice the whole no reflection and burning like a torch in sunlight thing.  
  
He grinned to himself; he'd gotten around that particular problem very well. He touched the small silver pendant hidden in his coat. It made him immune to the effects of sunlight, (making it impossible to get a tan) but also allowing him unlimited activity during the day, a luxury most vampires would swear off drinking human blood for.  
  
Ironically it had been Albus Dumbledore who had shown him how to use his magic and create the pendant, one of many lessons designed to entice that pathetically morose Darius out of his broodings and into the fight. It was always amusing to use it for his own purposes. Unfortunately that little tidbit of knowledge about how to create them was one of the things that hadn't transferred from Darius to him. He would have liked to make more for his especially deserving minions, but settled for personal mobility.  
  
So that solved the sunlight problem, as to the reflection thing, well...Vanity was overrated anyway, and he kind of liked not seeing himself in the mirror anymore, it made him feel like he was getting away with something.  
  
Given what he'd seen and heard, he was both interested and disturbed. In his opinion this secretive, "extra training" Potter and his little followers were receiving was just going to make him more interesting to beat down. Voldemort seemed equally unconcerned; the master vampire snorted, the red-eyed warlord was arrogant to the extreme. The Reaper knew better, he knew he wasn't invincible, nobody was. That's what made life so much fun, flirting with a death that could never touch him except by violence. He grinned to himself as Lyn came in through the smashed doorway.  
"Master."  
  
"Good evening Lyn, how's the situation?"  
  
The vampire sniffed, throwing her long hair over her shoulder. It was pure white, though her face was that of an attractive twenty-something year old woman, and would always be that way. She liked young men for her targets, particularly attached ones; it was her joy of sadism and cruelty that had made her the Reaper's lieutenant. Now and again he really wished he hadn't lost Vlad to Alastor's stake, but it was a trivial matter at best, there were always more vampires.  
  
Lyn took the proffered seat beside the Reaper, "We'll have to move sooner or later," she glared out at the massed vampires, "the home company is going to wonder why the caretaker of this place hasn't checked in lately and will send an investigator at some point."  
  
The Reaper grinned and waved his hand at the vampire convention below, "I'm sure that lot would like food delivered for once instead of going out and hunting it down." He patted her reassuringly, "Muggles are oblivious to what we really are. Besides look at them, they'll tear each other to pieces in this close proximity long before some pen pusher wonders why he hasn't gotten a phone call in a while. We have to be long gone before that or we won't have many fighters left."  
  
Lyn glared, "And he'll have a lot more."  
  
The Reaper looked up sharply, "The reports came in?" Lyn nodded grimly, the master vampire scratched his chin thoughtfully, "A lot huh?" again Lyn nodded an affirmative. The Reaper thought some more, flipping his lighter on and off.  
  
Lyn waited patiently, the Reaper had been surviving on his wits for centuries and she had known him long enough to trust his judgment about what course they would take. Finally the master vampire clicked his fangs in a gesture of finality, putting away his lighter, "Well there's an operation on the way, let's make sure the casualties are someone else's. There will never be an end to us, but let's try to be a little conservative."  
  
Lyn nodded thoughtfully, "All right, I guess we could try that..." She sounded doubtful. Vampires were not known for their conservatism.  
  
"Just for a while," he reassured her, "maybe until those Transylvanians get here, by then we'll have the numbers to do whatever we like with our merry band."  
  
Lyn grinned, "And what if that doesn't happen?"  
  
The Reaper produced his scythe and tested its edge maliciously, "And if that doesn't work, I suppose we'll have to start turning our catches instead of just draining them." He licked his lips, baring his fangs, "It never hurts to be prepared for all types of plots."  
  
"We'll need to find more abundant sources of 'recruits' and another place to house those crazies downstairs, send Drake out to do it, he's reliable. If he does a good job maybe we'll use him again." He thought for a moment, "In fact, look for a couple of different places, we need to spread them out a little, you try Liverpool and send him to Glasgow."  
  
"Yes master," Lyn stretched her slender frame, and grinned evilly, "when do we get to stir up some real trouble?"  
  
The Reaper swished his scythe back and forth, "Something big is in the works even as we speak, should be a good time. Our resident Dark Lord has decided to be a little more public and we're going along for the ride. After that..."  
  
Lyn clicked her fangs in anticipation, "Yes?"  
  
The Reaper winked at her affectionately, "After that, who knows what could happen? And to who?"  
  
Both the master and his adjutant made the room ring with their laughter.  
  
***  
  
A week later, owners called the police about a missing caretaker and investigator at the same old factory. Upon arriving, officers found evidence of what appeared to be a street gang that had camped out in the building for a period. No trace of the missing persons was found, and the culprits had vanished like smoke on the wind.  
  
The only anecdote in the report was the discovery of a cryptic message, which baffled the police, carved into the main office wall by a sharp blade.  
  
"It is Time."  
  
The Reaper always did love messing with people's heads. 


	63. Chapter 62: Foreign Rumblings

Welcome to my new reviewers: Arwentheelf and Chryspie, your praise is very inspiring to my writing.  
  
Thanks again to all of my faithful reviewers, I hope I don't disappoint.  
  
Chapter 62: Foreign Rumblings  
Harry hurried to the common room, where the party was in full swing. He pulled himself through the portrait hole to raucous cheers. He grinned in spite of the problems of the nights events, forgetting them in the smiles of the Gryffindors.  
"Here mate," Seamus pressed a huge cup of punch into his hand, "drink up fearless leader!"  
Harry smirked, "No thanks, I don't want to lose another ten points from Dumbledore."  
Seamus' brow furrowed, "Huh?" his face turned fearful, "You don't mean..." Harry nodded, "Bloody Hell!" Seamus legged it for the punch bowl.  
Laughing, Harry set the spiked drink to one side and headed for the corner where he could see Ron and Hermione; there was no sign of Ginny. As he approached he could see the conversation was still rather heated. "Look Ron!" Hermione was saying, "It's okay, all right?!"  
"No it's not okay! Bloody hell Hermione he got you hurt!" returned Ron, his face was flushed, "Where does he get off doing something like that?! I swear I'll..."  
"Ron, really!" Hermione said forcefully, Ron paused while looking down at her, "I'm okay, all right?" Her voice grew softer and she took his hand, smiling up at him, "I'm sorry I made you worry." Ron looked utterly speechless, she patted his hand and stood, "But you really shouldn't, I am capable of taking care of myself you know. I'm turning in okay?"  
Ron managed a strangled, "G'night." He stared after her as she made her way towards the dormitories.  
"Hey Harry," Hermione said, upon noticing him, "are you doing okay?"  
Looking at her sharp gaze Harry felt good, knowing how much his friends cared was always helpful. But he really felt like something under a magnification spell when she looked at him like that. How he had managed to keep any secrets from her was a mystery. "I'm all right Hermione," he said, smiling at her he nodded towards Ron, "looks like you two have been having an 'interesting' time." He grinned mischievously.  
"What..." she glance back at Ron, who had a faraway look in his eyes, "Oh. Oh! Don't be silly Harry, it's nothing like that! I'm going to bed, good night." She whisked past him, her cheeks just beginning to color.  
Harry smiled again as he made his way over to Ron, maybe it wasn't like that on her end, the other end he could be sure of. "Hey mate, having a good night so far?"  
Ron started and looked up at Harry, "What?! Oh yeah, well you know," his eyes flicked towards the girls dormitories; "it's looking up." Harry laughed, Ron looked indignant, "What?"  
Harry grinned, "Nothing, let's play some chess."  
Apparently the dreaminess was not affecting Ron's judgment too badly, he still managed to beat Harry without too much effort. The party broke up soon after and they went to bed peacefully. Harry tried to stay awake and think about the ominous note in Dumbledore's voice when he had left. But the day's events proved too exhausting and he passed over into sleep, wondering.  
  
***  
  
Harry slept badly that night, his dreams were filled with images and flashes of shouting and screaming people fleeing and battling with dark shadows. Green light and cruel laughter still rang in his head as he awoke. Trying to shake the images off, he splashed some water on himself and dumped Ron out of bed. "Come on mate, time to get up!"  
Running down the stairs ahead of Ron's enraged shouting; he hurried over to Hermione, sitting in an armchair with a gigantic book. "Good morning Harry," she said, shuffling through large sheaves of notes. "I gather you just gave Ron a rude awakening."  
"Something like that," Harry grinned, forgetting the dreams for the moment, nightmares weren't anything new, "what are you studying?"  
"Advanced arithmancy," she said absently, "Professor Vector has become quite intense." She seemed to sparkle at the very idea of intense work, Harry rolled his eyes.  
Ron came thumping down the stairs a few minutes later, grumbling and pulling on his robes. "You really are a git, you know that?" he growled, swatting Harry on the back of the head. "What's the rush?"  
Honestly Harry didn't know what the rush was, as it was the weekend. But he wanted to get down to breakfast, he still hadn't seen Ginny. She had said she would see him in the common room when she had left, but there hadn't been any sign of her. "Come on, let's get some breakfast." was all he said. Hermione put away her books with only minimal protest and the three of them headed for the Great Hall.  
Even before they were inside Harry could hear the excited buzz of lots of conversation, much of it hushed and hesitant. Upon entering they found the hall reasonably full. The students gathered together in small groups, whispering and discussing something. Harry noticed that every group seemed to center around the Daily Prophet.  
"What do you suppose is going on?" Ron wondered, looking at the clustered students curiously.  
"No idea," Hermione said, shielding her eyes and looking at an approaching owl, "but here comes my delivery owl, we'll soon see." Harry now had a bad feeling about his dreams last night. Whatever the news was, it wasn't good.  
The owl in question dropped the copy of the Daily Prophet into Hermione's hand rather forcefully, and shuffled about grumpily while she fished around in her pocket for a Knut. Apparently it resented having to wait around for her to make its delivery; they had come to the Great Hall pretty late. Hermione flung the bronze coin at the bad tempered bird, which flew off with a most un-owl-like squawk.  
"Ruddy bird," growled Ron, as Hermione unfolded the paper and they sat down at the Gryffindor table, "what does it say Hermione?"  
Hermione was skimming the front page rapidly, her eyes narrowed. With a sigh she handed the paper to Ron and Harry. "See for yourself."  
  
Disaster in Bulgaria  
  
The Bulgarian Minister of Magic was assassinated last night by a group of Dark Wizards claiming to be followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Chaos has gripped the country as an army of dark creatures, including giants and Dementors, came out of hiding and ravaged the wizarding and towns.  
  
A small group of loyalists, led by a young, red-haired man of unknown origin, rescued the Minister's cabinet and the remainder of his family and fled into the mountains. Their whereabouts are currently unknown, a large force of Death Eaters and dark creatures were observed in pursuit of them. Minister Fudge made it known in a statement that the Ministry would not be sending aid to the embattled Bulgarians.  
  
"We have plenty of problems of our own as you are well aware" Minister Fudge was quoted as saying in a statement early this morning. Albus Dumbledore has lodged a protest, but was unavailable for comment. It seems unlikely that any excess forces will be available for foreign aid with attacks on English witches and wizards increasing daily.  
  
Both the United States Republic of Magic and the French Ministry of Magic have refused aid as well, their excess forces have already been tied up in joint movements or in homeland defense. The Romanian Ministry of Magic is battling the same forces as the Bulgarians, but is unable to gain the upper hand. These events leave both countries in a precarious situation; the future of both governments is unknown.  
  
Harry stared at the article; it seemed to him the Daily Prophet never brought good news these days. He looked at Ron and Hermione, Hermione looked grim and worried. "It's spreading out," she said quietly, "making it so we can't help each other."  
Harry realized she was right, Bulgaria in chaos, Romania in struggle, France, Germany and the U.S. concentrating on their own borders, and England under assault, no country was in a position to help any of the others any more than they already had. It was a simple divide and conquer strategy, "Voldemort's power for spreading discord is great." He muttered, glancing up at Dumbledore's grim face.  
Ron had not said a thing upon finishing the article; he looked up at Harry, his face paler than Harry had ever seen. 


	64. Chapter 63: Into the East

First item of business; can anyone tell me how to remove reviews, I got one I don't really care for and would like it gone, to LiL AcE ViLLa, if you know this person please tell them to confine that somewhere else, I'm not inclined to put up with it.  
  
Thank you to all who are continuing to review, reviews are my lifeblood when it comes to fanfiction, keep it up please!  
  
Lastly, I know this chapter might come off a little sappy, but I couldn't help myself.  
  
Chapter 63: Into the East  
Ron was noticeably quiet all day, even for a school that was very subdued. Everyone seemed to be waiting with bated breath. With all their strongest allies tied up with their own struggles, England now stood alone against Voldemort. Tensions ran high; Harry saw signs of it everywhere. Arguments and fights occurred in the halls over small misunderstandings and Filch broke them up with viciousness uncommon even for him.  
Harry couldn't concentrate on his lessons and again received extra homework from Professor Flitwick. He couldn't stop wondering about how the situation in Bulgaria was going. He hoped to find out from Dumbledore on their next Occlumency and Legilimency lesson. Hermione and especially Ron were just as eager for him to go as he was; they knew he would tell them everything he found out.  
Pictures of the incident turned up everywhere, the Daily Prophet ran a few photographs taken during the initial attacks. Harry found them unnerving, he saw a retainer of the Bulgarian Minister of Magic standing at the entry to the Minister's private home facing off against at least six black-cloaked attackers. His old face was set in an expression of defiance as he flourished his single wand against a half dozen.  
Another showed a horrifying image of three massive giants, each at least twenty feet tall, rampaging down the main street of a small wizarding town while the populace fled in terror. The village looked unnervingly like Hogsmeade, eliciting several shudders and uncomfortable silences from the students who looked on it. The reality of the possibility of attack was now much more real.  
Reports stated that the country was overrun with dark creatures, but the Death Eaters appeared to be few in number and the known ones were locals. "They're bein' led by that blasted Macnair," Hagrid growled to them the next day as they sat with him after class having tea, "should've killed the scum when I saw 'im at the giant's camp."  
"There's no way you could have known Hagrid." Hermione said kindly, patting his large hand.  
"Yeah, well at least Dumbledore decided ter bring Grawpy back before all this. If he'd been there when this whole mess got started he'd 'ave been drafted in ter fightin' for them stinking dark wizards." Hagrid took a huge gulp of his tea.  
"Grawp's back in the forest now?" Harry said, "Heh, I'll bet the centaurs were thrilled about that."  
"Ah don't worry about that lot o' mules," Hagrid snorted, "I 'aven't seen much o' the blokes since Grawpy chased 'em last year ter tell yeh the truth. They've gone deep inter the forest now and good riddance says I!"  
"So you haven't seen any of them in a while?" Hermione asked incredulously, they hadn't talked about this particular subject in months, "They seemed pretty bent on staying last year."  
"Yeah, I'd be willin' ter bet one o' them was responsible fer lettin' out that vampire me'n Krum netted, well whoever it was got a nasty surprise I can tell yeh that. But as fer seein' 'em, nope haven't seen any o' that lot." Hagrid thought for a moment, "Grawpy has though, now that I think of it."  
"He's told you this?" Harry asked dubiously, Grawp's ability to articulate still seemed in question when Harry had last seen him.  
"Oh yeah, he's learned English loads better now, Dumbledore's been teachin' him when I can't, great man Dumbledore." Hagrid answered, for a moment he looked wistful, "Er, where was I? Oh yeah, Grawpy apparently saw a centaur, he keeps carryin' on about a red centaur he saw. I assume he's seen the one named Firefoot, not a very nice bloke; I 'ope Grawpy pushed a tree over on 'im."  
"Hagrid!" Hermione looked shocked, "Don't wish that!"  
Hagrid looked querulous for a moment, but then he shrugged and smiled, "I was jes kiddin', don' get worked up Hermione."  
Hagrid didn't discuss the matter of Grawp or the Bulgarians further, he talked excitedly about some new lessons he was planning, apparently it involved pairing a the gryphon still out back, with a hippogriff. Ron found this ludicrous, Hermione found it interesting, for his part Harry tried to forget about the whole thing for now, he was sure he'd be hearing enough about it later.  
  
***  
  
"Honestly!" Hermione huffed, as they left Hagrid's cabin and made their way up towards the castle in the late afternoon sun. "Hoping Grawp had pushed a tree over on someone, I ask you!"  
"Even if that someone is a git of a territorial centaur?" inquired Ron dryly.  
"Yes even then Ron," Hermione said firmly, "it's not right to wish misfortune on others like that, even if they may deserve to be punished."  
"She's merciful," muttered Ron to Harry behind Hermione's back, "I don't suppose she'd say the same thing if it was someone who owned loads of house elves instead of some bloody red-haired centaur." Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing.  
Harry decided a change of subject was needed as they pushed open the doors, "So do you think Hagrid's right and a centaur let that vampire out?"  
Ron shook his head, closing the door behind them, "No, I can't see any reasonably smart bloke doing that, they'd have just killed it while it was in the cage wouldn't they? I mean why let it out so it can fight back?" He nodded sagely, "The protection spells must have failed, that's what I think."  
Hermione snorted, "That is hardly a possibility."  
Ron bristled, "Why?"  
"Because Viktor does excellent spellwork and he put the spells on that cage himself." Hermione replied.  
"Oh yes?" shot back Ron, "Been getting friendly with his spellwork have you?" Hermione hissed like an angry cat.  
This was not the change of subject Harry had intended, looking up he spied a distraction, "Hello Professor McGonagall!" Ron and Hermione turned away from one another quickly as the stern Professor approached.  
"Good evening Potter, Weasley, Miss Granger," she said severely, "Potter your lesson with Professor Dumbledore tonight has been canceled, but he would like you three to be there at the appointed time anyway. He has a matter to discuss with you." As the Professor left Harry, Ron and Hermione stood looking at one another for a moment, then as one they rushed into the Great Hall and made for the nearest empty seats.  
It was easily the quickest meal any of them had ever eaten. Harry lost track of what he put in his mouth and had a strong suspicion later that he had eaten some parsley. Ron seemed to be swallowing whole plates of food in his haste to get the meal done. He was so voracious the Creevey brothers moved from their places next to him in wariness of injury. Even Hermione ate with ungainly haste, something Harry had only seen when she wanted to get to the library after she had come up with something particularly brilliant.  
As soon as all three were done they snatched up their belongings and made for the door, avoiding questions the whole way. "Next time bring your own food!" Seamus roared after them as they left. It was a mark of how intent he was that Ron neglected to shout an insult back.  
They hurried to the gargoyle and up the spiral staircase. Ron was all for barging in the door at the top, but Hermione stopped him and tapped prudently until they heard Dumbledore's voice, "Come in."  
The sight that greeted them when they went in caused all three of them to stop short in the doorway. Mr. Weasley was standing next to the door with his arm around Mrs.Weasley; both looked wrung out and tired. Bill leaned against the fireplace chatting quietly with Ginny, two small bags were sitting next to him, it looked as though he had just arrived from a trip. Percy was seated primly in one of the armchairs, ignoring the twins who were poking fun at his cane without any real spirit.  
"Ah good," Dumbledore left off stroking Fawkes and sat down behind his desk, "please make yourselves comfortable, we have many things to discuss." Extra chairs appeared.  
Ron went over to hug his mother, Hermione sat down next to Percy, Harry avoided the seat the twins offered him out of his own self-interest. Mr. Weasley gently pulled his wife into a chair and stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. Dumbledore looked over the top of his glasses sadly. "Please make yourselves comfortable, this may take some time."  
"What is this about Professor Dumbledore?" Mr.Weasley asked, sounding as though he already knew the answer.  
"The situation in Bulgaria and the fact that it involves someone all present in this room care about." Replied Dumbledore gravely. "I am speaking of course about Charlie Weasley."  
Harry shook his head; he knew Charlie had been in Romania trying to garner support for the war against Voldemort. It stood to reason the red- haired man mentioned in the Daily Prophet was Charlie Weasley.  
"As you know the situation in Bulgaria is dire, with our current problems here in England it is impossible to send any substantial aid to the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore continued his rhetoric, "Unfortunately for us this leaves Charlie in a precarious situation, our reports indicate he has fled in to the mountains with as many loyalists he could muster, and apparently the Bulgarian Cabinet and the remaining family of the Minister of Magic are with him."  
"I know Fudge won't lift a finger to help," Mrs. Weasley piped up, and Harry was surprised at the vehemence in her voice, "you're going to send someone to help him aren't you sir?" She looked at Dumbledore pleadingly, "Please tell me we're sending someone."  
"Molly..." began Mr. Weasley, laying a hand on her shoulder in a placating fashion, but she shook him off.  
"You're going to send someone right?" she sounded more demanding now, her face flushed, "Someone is going."  
Dumbledore's eyes flashed, and once again that aura of raw power seemed to surround him. "It will be difficult if not impossible for most anyone I send to locate Charlie and his party, and if they do they will be able to render only minor assistance. However!" his voice rose commandingly as Mrs. Weasley began an angry outburst, "However, that does not mean I am not immediately sending someone to find him. He is a member of the Order of the Phoenix Molly." His eyes flashed with resolve, "And whatever may occur, we take care of our own. I am dispatching an Order member immediately to find Charlie Weasley and get him and as many of his party out safely as soon as possible!"  
Mrs. Weasley slumped back in her chair, her eyes misting, "Thank you so much sir." she said quietly.  
Dumbledore still looked grave, "Do not thank me until you hear who I am sending Molly, he is in this room right now." Mrs. Weasley seized her husband's hand convulsively, Dumbledore shook his head, "I can hardly send the Senior Undersecretary out of the country, no not Arthur."  
Harry looked around at the assembly, who was Dumbledore talking about? It couldn't be any of them; they all had duties, school and family. Surely Dumbledore didn't mean for anyone here to go...  
Slowly, Bill pulled away from Ginny where they sat next to the fireplace and stood forward. Mrs. Weasley stared mutely at him for a long moment and then her mouth firmed. "NO."  
"I'm going mum," Bill said determinedly, pointing to his bags, "I'm already packed. I volunteered for this. If anyone can bring back Charlie, it will be me." He stood resolute as the protests began.  
  
***  
  
The atmosphere at the entrance to the Hogwarts grounds seemed one of the most dismal Harry had ever endured. Bill had stood firm against protests from everyone in the room, and Dumbledore had likewise refused to withdraw the assignment as long as Bill was still willing to go. Mrs. Weasley especially had ranted against it; Harry was forcibly reminded of what her boggart turned in to. In the end she had subsided into a fearful silence, leaning on Mr. Weasley for support.  
Harry looked around at the forlorn little group that stood waiting for the Knight Bus. Hermione looked sad; Harry noticed her eyes were repeatedly drawn to Ron, who stood pale, but resolute. Fred and George, serious for once, were packing every available space in Bill's bags with extra weapons and contraptions they had invented for the Order. Percy leaned heavily on his cane, making no effort to hide his misty eyes, though that professional air did not leave his composure.  
Mrs. Weasley was mute, not taking her eyes off Bill for a second. Mr. Weasley stood silently next to her, offering her comfort and strength. Dumbledore stared off into the setting sun, he had that soft, sad look in his eyes, Harry noticed he had seen that look often on his old Headmaster's face lately. Lastly Harry looked at Ginny.  
The wind stirred her hair lightly as she stood looking at Bill; she had the vaguest hint of tears in her eyes, but Harry could tell she was trying to be strong for her mother's sake. 'This must be so hard for her.' he thought to himself. And yet, she still looked beautiful, Harry couldn't help but think that.  
Harry spun around, his wand in his hand, as someone disapparated a short distance away. It was only when he recognized Fleur Delacour, looking as beautiful and ethereal as ever, that he lowered his wand. 'Good grief I'm getting jumpy.' He thought to himself, as Fleur hurried over to Bill.  
"Weeliam?" she inquired in her soft, accented voice, "What is going on Weeliam?"  
Harry saw Bill's composure crack for the barest of moments as he looked at her. Gently taking her by the arm he whispered quietly to her for a long while. Her eyes grew wide, her face sad. She put her arms around his neck murmuring quiet words to him as he wrapped his own arms around her, burying his face in her silvery hair.  
With a loud bang the Knight Bus arrived, taking Fleur by the hand, Bill calmly walked over to his parents. He kissed his mother on the cheek, giving her a tight hug and a backslapping one to his father. He looked up and his gaze swept the whole group, "Take care of yourselves now," he said strongly, mustering a smile, "I'll be back with Charlie before you know it."  
Lastly he held Fleur tightly, said something quietly in her ear and pressed something into her hand and kissed her deeply. Then resolute and without looking back, he stepped up the stairs into the Knight Bus. The watchers caught a brief glimpse of his fiery red hair and shining smile before the bus whisked him away with a bang.  
Mrs. Weasley broke down completely, sobbing into her husband's shoulder. Her children quickly ran to her. They left only Harry and Hermione watching Fleur standing stock still on the grassy hill, tears pouring silently down her face as she looked at the diamond engagement ring Bill had pressed into her hand before leaving, possibly forever. 


	65. Chapter 64: Suspicions

Many thanks to all of you who reviewed my last chapters, my new reviewers StarWest45 and SPASH Panther and to all my regulars, you give me the will to continue this story.  
  
Special thanks go to LiL AcE ViLLa, that is one of the most inspiring reviews I've ever gotten, I'm glad I can be an inspiration to you as much as your reviews are to me.  
  
Chapter 64: Suspicions  
A pall seemed to hang over the school after Bill left, or maybe it was just Harry's mood. Mrs. Weasely had been almost inconsolable and had left without a word to Dumbledore. Harry fervently hoped she wasn't too angry with the Headmaster for allowing Bill to go on the rescue mission, he knew how heavy the burden was on Dumbledore's shoulders.  
It must have been hard for Dumbledore to do that, Harry knew that much. The fortitude and strength the old Headmaster radiated in time like these was a marvel to behold. Dumbledore led the struggle so well, as Hagrid had said; as long as they had Dumbledore he wasn't too worried.  
Harry found himself wondering if he could ever be a leader like Dumbledore, as was expected of him in the D.A. People listened to him and did what he said, that was for sure, and it made him proud. However, that thought also disturbed him, what if he told them to do something and it turned out to be the wrong thing? They could be hurt or killed because they had done what he had told them to do.  
Harry guessed the idea that he had lives resting on his decisions shouldn't have been all that shocking of a revelation to him, but it still was. The whole D.A. depended on him, what if they ever did see real combat? Harry tried no to think about that. Hermione and Ron were in the same situation, Harry had told them about Dumbledore's permission to research the theft from his office, but this had only cheered Hermione, and then slightly.  
Lessons provided him with a welcome distraction from these ominous thoughts. "Today," said Professor McGonagall sternly as she walked to the front of the class, "we will be studying a most difficult and dangerous part of Transfiugration." Hermione leaned forward unconsciously, Ron rolled his eyes. Professor McGonagall waved her wand at the blackboard, "We will be studying making objects incorporeal."  
"Incorpor-what?" asked Dean incredulously.  
"Incorporeal Mr. Thomas," Professor McGonagall repeated in exasperation, "a ghost-like state which allows the bespelled object to pass through solid objects such as walls and floors."  
"That'd be useful for thieves." Ron remarked thoughtfully.  
"Don't be silly Ron," Hermione said, "if you use it on a person they could fall right through the floor and mix their molecules with the ground, it would kill them."  
"Correct Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall said, "Fortunately the spell is easily blocked, there is not a person here who could be made incorporeal if they did not want to be, yes even you Longbottom."  
She took out her wand, "The spell itself is simple, a downward flick and a sharp jab like so," she flicked and jabbed her wand at a goblet on her desk, "Incorporatis!" The goblet faded slightly and fell through the desk. Professor McGonagall bent quickly and jabbed and then flicked her wand at goblet as it fell out the bottom of the desk, "Decorporatis!" The goblet landed on the floor with a clunk.  
After demonstrating again, Professor McGonagall gave each of them a smaller goblet and told them to practice making it fall through the desk. Harry found that it required some reflexes, but the spell itself was fairly easy to master. Professor McGonagall explained that the duration the object would remain incorporeal depended on the skill and power of the witch or wizard who cast it.  
Harry found out quickly that what she said was true, Neville missed the Decorporatis spell and his goblet fell through the floor, McGonagall kept replacing them but Neville's reflexes were their usual wreck. There was a knock at the door; Professor McGonagall looked up sharply from where she was telling Neville off. Harry winced involuntarily as she strode to the door; he pitied whoever had interrupted class.  
Professor McGonagall pushed open the door brusquely, "I must warn you I do not take well to my class being inter..."  
She paused, standing on the other side of the door was Viktor Krum, in his arms were four small goblets. "I do beg your pardon Professor," he said quietly, "but are these yours?"  
Professor McGonagall was left speechless for once looking blank faced at the armload of goblets. She managed a businesslike nod, "Yes, thank you Viktor, tell Professor Tofty I am sorry for the interruptions to his class."  
"I will tell him as soon as he is no longer in the hospital ving." Krum said calmly, handing her the goblets.  
Professor McGonagall nearly dropped them, "The hospital wing? Is he all right?"  
"He vill be fine Professor, he vas just a little shocked by the goblets falling on him, he is not a young man." Krum said dourly.  
"I...Yes, I suppose he isn't," Professor McGonagall said primly, "convey my apologies to him when you see him next Viktor."  
"Yes ma'am." Krum replied, Harry noticed he still didn't look very well. That pale, sour look had not left his face all year. It gave the assistant professor a strange air that made Harry quite uncomfortable. He wondered what Krum and Hermione talked about when he had seen them in the library and after D.A. teaching sessions.  
Professor McGonagall closed the door and whirled around as Neville prepared to try again. "That's enough Mr. Longbottom! Practice on rocks outside as your extra homework." Hurriedly she waved her wand and the goblets flew back onto a shelf. "That will be all for today, class dismissed."  
Neville looked discouraged as they packed up and headed out into the corridor. "Don't feel bad Neville," Hermione said kindly, "it's just a matter of speed that's all."  
Neville shook his head, "It's not that, that was the first time I've had real trouble with a spell since I joined the D.A." he sighed, "I thought I was over that, I guess there are some things we just can't escape." He walked off toward the front entrance.  
Hermione and Ron shook their heads sadly, but Harry just tightened his jaw grimly, "I know what you mean." He muttered and turned on his heel, heading in the opposite direction from the flow of students. He missed the bewildered look that passed between Ron and Hermione.  
He was at the end of the hall when he heard them come up behind him. "Harry mate," Ron said loudly, "what about lunch?" He could almost see Hermione rolling her eyes.  
"Not hungry," Harry said, "got some homework to finish."  
"Great," Hermione said happily, "let's got to the library, there's some stuff I want to research." Ron looked forlornly in the direction of the Great Hall, but followed after Hermione with only a little grumbling.  
  
***  
  
Harry pulled a Charms book off the shelf and set to his extra homework from Professor Flitwick. He quickly immersed himself in the essay, it helped him focus. He didn't want to think about what Neville's comment meant to him. Things he couldn't escape, Harry knew all about that.  
Ron began a long Potions essay Snape had assigned with many dire warnings about what would happen if anyone achieved less that an Exceeds Expectations on it. Snape seemed determined to make half the class quit or throw them out himself before the year was over. Harry, Ron and especially Hermione were determined they wouldn't be part of that half.  
Hermione had pulled out a couple of huge books that looked like school records and teacher histories. She was busily leafing through the different books and jotting down notes on several different parchments. Harry had no idea what she wanted that for; he couldn't recall whether or not Professor Binns had assigned an essay on past faculty and students at Hogwarts.  
Hermione continued like this for a while, making small noises of frustration or triumph as she found something in the books. Finally after the twentieth noise in thirty minutes Ron flung down his quill and looked at her expectantly, "All right, we noticed, now what is it?"  
Hermione looked up, "Hm? What are you talking about?"  
"What are you writing down?" Harry said, without looking up from his Charms work.  
"Oh," Hermione looked at them warily; "well since Dumbledore gave us permission to look into the theft of the Sword of Godric Gryffindor..." she looked down at her notes, "I just thought I'd start looking into one of our suspects."  
"Let me guess," Ron snorted, looking down at her notes, "you're looking into Professor Tofty?"  
Hermione colored slightly, "Believe it or not Ron Weasley there is some evidence I managed to find." She shook out her parchment, "Look, Professor Tofty was a teacher here fifty years ago when..." she paused, looking around, "When the Chamber of Secrets was opened the first time."  
Harry straightened, suddenly interested, Ron however looked querulous, "So?"  
"So, he took a leave of absence for reasons of health right before the first attack came." Hermione pulled out another parchment, "He was gone the entire time the attacks were happening, and then he returned shortly after Myrtle was killed by the basilisk." She continued down the page, "Also he made a lot of visits to Albania during his vacation times, and that was where Voldemort was hiding for a long time."  
Harry was impressed she had managed to find such things and draw the conclusions from some old records, but Ron had his nose buried in one of the books, "He left Hogwarts for warmer climates because he was sick Hermione, and he had family in Albania." He shut the book with a decisive snap as if that explained everything.  
Hermione shook her head, "It's all a little too convenient Ron, I think he might have had other motives."  
"Oh come on!" Ron was starting to heat up, "You're checking up on that decrepit old Professor when there are far more obvious suspects around!"  
"Oh yes?!" Hermione shot back, "Like who?!"  
"Like a slimy git who's been that way to us for years, and someone from Durmstrang who just dropped everything and decided to teach here and looks incredibly guilty while doing it!" Ron returned fiercely.  
"You lay off having a go at Viktor!" Hermione shrieked back, Harry hurriedly cast a silencing spell on the bookshelf in between them and Madame Pince, the last thing he needed was to be chased out of the library by those huge books Hermione had gathered.  
"Why?!" Ron roared, his ears now scarlet, "You just don't want to look at him that way, you're biased!"  
"I am not!' Hermione returned, "You just don't know the whole story!"  
"Then tell us," Harry broke in, hoping to avoid further argument, "tell us what the whole story is."  
"All right, if you have to know," Hermione snapped the book closed and leaned forward, "I suppose you've been wondering why Viktor gave up Quidditch and came here to teach?"  
"Well of course!" Ron snorted, "Why would anyone want to do that?!"  
Hermione threw an annoyed glance at him, but let the comment slide, "Because he didn't want to be in Bulgaria anymore and he needed someplace to go."  
"Why wouldn't he want to stay in Bulgaria?" Harry asked, "Isn't that where his family and friends are from?"  
"That's just it;" Hermione said sadly, "his family isn't there anymore."  
"Huh?" Ron looked clueless.  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked in exasperation.  
"I mean his family disappeared in an attack earlier last year," Hermione snapped, "nobody has seen them since." Both Harry and Ron paused to mull that over, "Viktor decided he couldn't stay at home anymore and remembered Dumbledore's offer of sanctuary, he came here and Dumbledore gave him an assistant teaching job. If he does a good job this year they'll give him the full time position next year."  
There was a long pause; Harry felt that he now understood that moody air that the Assistant Professor gave off all the time. Krum's entire family had vanished, Harry could relate, but he imagined it would be worse for Krum since he had actually known his family before losing them. No wonder he always looked so sour.  
"So there you see," Hermione snapped, "he would never work for Voldemort, he lost his entire family to him!" She pointed an accusing finger at Ron, "So lay off of Viktor!"  
"I can't!" Ron shot back, then gripped the table edge as if regretting he had said anything.  
"Why?!" Hermione asked, Ron hesitated, "Why can't you?"  
Ron looked at Harry desperately for a moment, seeing that Harry wasn't about to say anything to that, he looked down, "Because... Just because I don't think you..."  
Hermione immediately flared up again, "I don't need this, stop your worrying! You can be overprotective of Ginny! That's your right as her brother! But I don't need that bleeding over on to me!"  
"It's not that!" shot back Ron.  
"Then what is it?!" Hermione asked again.  
Ron opened his mouth, shut it again and looked down. "Nothing."  
Harry threw up his hands in frustration, "I'm not going to get any work done here." He grabbed his bag and headed down the row. At the end of the shelf he turned and looked back at them, "You two are really maddening you know that?"  
He turned and walked away, not minding the bewildered looks of his two oblivious friends. 


	66. Chapter 65: The Soul of Quidditch

Welcome to my new reviewers; Padfoot04, samyjoc, and Silver Warrior, glad you could join us for this story of mine.  
  
Again special thanks to my most frequent and faithful reviewers, you know who you are. This is the culmination of one of the problems in my story. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 65: The Soul of Quidditch  
No information was forthcoming on the situation for the next few days, the only news came from the Daily Prophet about continuing battle being waged in Bulgaria and Romania as Ministry forces desperately tried to contain the Death Eaters and dark creatures while keeping the whole thing hidden from the muggle world.  
Harry concentrated on classes and Quidditch for the next few weeks. Their next challenge would be the day after the Quidditch finale. Harry was glad to learn that the next one would be given by Remus Lupin. He wondered if there would be a replacement for Bill. Meanwhile he worked the D.A. hard, even when they were teaching the junior members.  
The final match against Ravenclaw was coming up soon. Harry wasn't worried about it too much, he had never lost the snitch to Cho Chang and he wasn't about to start now. Katie had been training them hard, only Ravenclaw stood in the way of a third victory for Gryffindor at the Quidditch cup. The Hufflepuffs had been trampled; it seemed they never had regained their spirit after losing Cedric Diggory. Once again it came down to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.  
How Katie still managed to continue being the nice, sweet girl she had always been, even through the stress of being a Quidditch Captain in line for the Cup, was a complete mystery to Harry. But it was true; Katie continued to show great patience and understanding with the team, even with mistakes and troubles that would have given Oliver Wood ulcers.  
Ginny had yet to make a serious mistake with her skills; she was where she needed to be, when she needed to be there. She was now a Chaser in her prime, one of the best Harry had ever seen. Colin made mistakes all over the place, Katie regularly took him aside, but never had any harsh or frustrated words for him. His mistakes had an eerie way of getting him into exactly the right place to pull off a spectacular catch. He had been responsible for some pretty good assists; Ron couldn't follow his haphazard throws quite fast enough to stop Ginny or Katie from scoring.  
Ron himself seemed determined to never make a serious mistake again, Harry waited extra long outside the Quidditch tent because Ron spent more time in the showers easing his sore muscles from tensing up at the goal. Still he was better than Harry had ever seen him; he'd made incredible saves worthy of Oliver Wood.  
Harry himself was never one to congratulate himself, but he was gratified to see the year off hadn't dulled his skills. All in all, he felt they had a good chance at the Quidditch Cup this year. He could feel the excitement in the team, like electricity flowing between them.  
  
***  
  
The day of the match dawned bright and fair, Harry was woken by Ron shoving him out of bed, "Let's go mate! Game time! Come on, get up!"  
"You're the next Oliver I swear!" growled Harry, hurling his pillow at Ron and pulling out his Firebolt.  
"Eat up boys!" Katie said happily as they arrived in the Great Hall, "It's no good going hungry, as you both know." She shoved a plate of eggs towards them, past Ginny and Colin. Seamus and Dean were busy bantering with each other, joking that they were going to hit each other instead of the Bludgers and give the Ravenclaws a rest.  
"Bad luck to all of you!" Luna called merrily, her robes flashing a painfully bright blue. Ron rolled his eyes, Hermione snorted, Harry grinned.  
After a light breakfast the team got up from the table to raucous cheers, Hermione threw her arms around Ginny, while looking to Harry and Ron. "Good luck you three! I'll be watching from the stands!"  
Hagrid gave Harry a clap on the back that sent him flying, but he was grateful for the gesture at least. They trooped down to the Quidditch field and changed into their robes. "Okay team," Katie said quietly as they gathered around, "just play like you always do and we'll have this game in the bag. Colin, stay tight to the corners and watch for an opening, Ginny make sure you're there to get his pass. Ron, don't get tense, just relax and nothing will get by you. You two, no breaks for the Ravenclaws, keep them on edge and looking over their shoulders. Harry...Well, just...Catch the snitch. Let's go team!"  
They all headed out onto the field grinning at each other, Ron's grin was especially wide. "That was probably the best pep talk he's ever had," Ginny whispered to Harry, "you should have heard some of the stuff Angelina said to him last year. She really went for the tough love approach to coaching."  
"I can imagine." Harry whispered back as they approached the Ravenclaws across the Quidditch pitch. The crowds cheered and booed respectively as Dennis Creevey began announcing the teams. "Good luck Gin."  
Her smile lit the day, "And you, not like you're going to need it."  
Harry grinned as he placed himself opposite Cho Chang, she was not smiling for once, and her face was set. Harry smiled inwardly, she seemed determined to beat him today, well that was too bad. He heard Madame Hooch's whistle, and kicked off into the blinding sunlight.  
"And there's the whistle! The Quaffle is taken by Ginny Weasley! We're going to see a fine game today folks!" shouted Dennis. Harry dodged a Bludger and flew off in search of the snitch. He knew Cho was tailing him, it was her favorite tactic, he could see her gripping her broom tightly, ready for any move he might make to shake her.  
Harry knew he was faster and a better flyer by a solid margin, however Cho knew that as well, she was expecting him to use it to keep her at a distance. Harry decided to do something different. He slowed down a little, forgetting Cho he concentrated on looking for the Snitch, as long as she still marked him, he could beat her to the Snitch.  
The game progressed rapidly, Ginny and Katie scored repeatedly with Colin's help. However the Ravenclaw Chasers were fighting hard to remain in the game, and Ron couldn't stop everything, the score became 70 to 50 in Gryffindor's favor. Seamus and Dean flew about skillfully, laughing and joking between themselves as they bashed the Bludgers left and right.  
Harry somehow felt that their attitude might not be the best thing for the game environment. The Ravenclaw's looks became progressively uglier as the two bantered back and forth. Their Beaters in particular began playing dirtier and dirtier.  
"Don't you think we ought to tell those two to knock it off?" Harry asked Katie, watching a Ravenclaw Beater viciously swing her bat; it was unclear to him whether she was trying to hit a Bludger or Seamus.  
Katie shook her head, "It's just the way they play, don't worry about it. The Ravenclaws aren't about to break the rules because of some jokes." She ducked hastily as the other Bludger was smashed her way, "But catch that snitch in a hurry anyway okay Harry?" She flew off after the Quaffle.  
Harry flew away, noticing Cho's glare out of the corner of his eye, apparently the banter was getting to her too. 'I'd better end this quick.' he thought, looking around keenly.  
Finally the score climbed to 100 to 90, the Gryffindors maintaining the lead. Harry saw the snitch glittering near the grass at the Ravenclaw end. He looked over, but Cho had seen it too, they both immediately went into a dive, streaking toward the tiny gold ball. Harry was concentrating on getting ahead when he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye.  
The Ravenclaw Beater was diving toward him, looking vengeful and gripping her bat tightly. She looked intent on stopping him, and Harry was pretty sure the rules weren't going to be any shield in this situation. He could avoid her easily, but then Cho would beat him to the snitch, all the Beater had to do was hold him up for a moment. Harry furiously wracked his brain as he dived with Cho.  
He had just decided to take one for the team and catch the snitch regardless when he saw a flash of red. Ginny, backed by Colin, dived in between Harry and his assailant. Braking heavily, Ginny hurled the Quaffle directly at the offending Beater. She was quick and batted it away with her club, but it was enough. Harry tightened up on his Firebolt and pushed ahead to catch the snitch first.  
Ignoring the cheers that swelled up and Dennis screaming into the magical megaphone, Harry landed and hurried over to the rest of the team. "Shut it you two!" he hissed at Seamus and Dean, who were just starting a round of catcalls. "You nearly got me killed out there."  
Seamus just grinned maniacally, Dean looked slightly sheepish. "Sorry, we're Beaters Harry, we're not supposed to be popular." was all he said.  
Ginny looked like she was about to lay into him, but Harry distracted her by saying; "Thanks, although I think you broke the rules."  
"Probably," Colin agreed, "there are enough of them, but we couldn't just let her hit you Harry!" He looked at Harry adoringly, "You're our star player."  
Harry grinned at Ginny, "Not today." She smiled sheepishly, an awkward pause followed.  
It was broken by Katie Bell, "Well, I've just had a chat with Madame Hooch, and Ginny did break the rules. But she saw what was happening and since it was obvious Ravenclaw was about to break the rules as well she's decided to let it slide." She then smiled hugely, "Congrats team, we just won the Cup."  
Ron came flying in whooping at the top of his lungs, he snagged Ginny and whirled her around while Seamus and Dean nearly pounded Colin into the ground in jubilation. Harry could just smile.  
  
***  
  
Winning the Qudditch Cup for the third season running was euphoric for Harry, but as it turned out, it had some unexpected consequences. The Gryffindors were ecstatic, and the Ravenclaws were sullen. Especially Cho Chang. This had the unforeseen consequence of creating extra tension in the D.A. at a time when teamwork was critical.  
Half the time Harry found himself settling disputes between touchy Ravenclaws and unapologetic Gryffindors. Cho, Michael Corner, Seamus and surprisingly Ginny, were usually the center of these disagreements. The Ravenclaws would get offended over something trivial and the Gryffindors wouldn't give them an inch. All in all it heightened nerves and made for unwanted tension.  
Harry was contemplating this problem with worry as he made his way up the stairs to Dumbledore's office. He had just been getting ready for Lupin's challenge when he had been summoned by Dobby to the Headmaster's office.  
"Ah Harry," Dumbledore smiled warmly and Fawkes trilled as Harry stepped through the door, "good, I wished to tell you something before you begin your next challenge."  
"Yes sir, what is it?" Harry asked, shutting the door behind him.  
"First of all I wanted to congratulate you on your win, I hope no unpleasant difficulties will come of it." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.  
"Thank you sir, me too." Harry replied, feeling that the unpleasant difficulties had already come to pass.  
Dumbledore smiled gently, "I sometimes wish the founders had not seen fit to divide this school into houses, such things are not conductive to good relations. However, I cannot answer to their motives for they are long gone." His eyes acquired a faraway look before he smiled again. "However, I did not ask you here to speculate about ancient history. I wish to inform you that there will not be a replacement challenge for William Weasley's."  
Harry's heart sank, he didn't want to think about why Dumbledore had chosen this way, perhaps it was the old Headmaster's way of showing his hope that Bill and Charlie would return safe and sound.  
Dumbledore did not miss the look on his face; he smiled gently and started to say something when he was interrupted by a commotion in the stairwell. Harry discerned tow familiar and dislikeable voices, Malfoy and Snape.  
"I trusted you to do this right!" Malfoy was shouting, "And this is what you do?!"  
"If you had any sense you would be doing it yourself." Snape's curt reply came back.  
"This is not what I wanted!" Malfoy yelled, as Snape pushed open the door, (nearly trapping Harry behind it) and pushed him into the room. Malfoy's pale face was as flushed as Harry had ever seen it and he was looking at Snape with angry eyes. Snape for his part looked his usual sour and demanding self.  
"Severeus, what is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore asked politely, Harry noted that neither of the new arrivals had seen him.  
"I apologize for the intrusion Headmaster; Mr. Malfoy has something you need to take care of." Snape's eyes glittered; his hand did not leave Malfoy's shoulder.  
Malfoy shook with anger, "Traitor! That's what you are! I won't do this; it's mine to do with as I please! She said so!"  
"Show the Headmaster what you have Malfoy." Snape said sternly, "This matter concerns him."  
Malfoy glared and remained silent, Dumbledore was looking at the two of them thoughtfully, Snape's glare deepened into one Harry had been on the receiving end of many times. His grip tightened on Malfoy's shoulder, "Show it Malfoy! This is a very serious matter and you need help with it."  
"I don't." Malfoy muttered, but without any real force. His head was bowing, his shoulders sagging.  
Snape shook him lightly, "Show it Malfoy, this is the right course, as you will see."  
"Traitor..." Malfoy muttered, as he lifted his arm, palm outstretched. Harry leaned forward to see what it was.  
  
In Malfoy's palm, lay a small, crystal sphere. It glowed with an inner golden light. 


	67. Chapter 66: Shatterpoint

To Silver Warrior: Yes, the inspiration for the Reaper came from Angel, I had a disclaimer for that earlier in my work, and will have another at the end.  
  
Thanks for all the great reviews, so far only one reviewer was right about what Malfoy has, look early in my story, it's a very obscure reference. You'll have to wait until next chapter to find out.  
  
Chapter 66: Shatterpoint  
The muggle town burned brightly in the warm spring night. It was small, out of the way, and of no consequence. A place no one would normally bother with. But that was precisely why it was burning.  
The Dark Lord stood on a high hill overlooking the pathetic wretches dying by his will. This little English town was one of the places not protected by that muggle-lover Arthur Weasley's muggle protection act. Fudge had been quite helpful, changing the act and limiting the Ministry's protection of muggle townships to more populated areas. It gave his army many places to have a little fun where the Ministry would be slow to respond, if they came at all.  
Voldemort heard a whisper of displaced air behind him as someone disapparated, his accompanying Death Eaters lowered their wands when they saw it was the Reaper. The Dark Lord did not turn, "You are late."  
"Apologies boss," the master vampire looked curiously at the holocaust down below, before returning his attention to Voldemort, "my dinner was a little fast."  
Red eyes narrowed, "Do not jest with me vampire, I have no tolerance for it. You are here at my bidding; you will be here when I tell you to be."  
"Just as you say," the Reaper grinned, "what do wish of me and mine?"  
"You have the target; it will take place in four days. Gather your creatures from where you have hidden them. Also, you will remove these three from the list of targets you have permission to attack; their usefulness to me has been reevaluated."  
One of the Death Eaters handed the vampire a small tablet. The Reaper took it and looked at the three names on it. There was a slight click as he ground his fangs together, but he said nothing of it. "Will that be all?"  
Voldemort waved his pale, spidery hand dismissively, the Reaper hissed and apparated. For a long moment the Dark Lord stared down the hill at the beleaguered town, listening to the crackling flames, deadly spells, and screaming victims. His eyes narrowed to red slits, he motioned with his hand, "Wormtail!"  
The shivering Death Eater with a silver hand stepped forward and groveled at the Dark Lord's feet. "Master?"  
"He is untrustworthy is he not Wormtail?" Voldemort's voice was hard.  
"He is an untrustworthy beast master, he plots against you."  
"Perhaps, I would certainly expect it of him, but his mind is now clouded to me, not as it was."  
Pettigrew raised his head, "Legilimency master? It has stopped working? Perhaps we should..."  
Voldemort kicked him in the face, sending him over backward, "Do not presume to think you can make suggestions Wormtail!"  
"No master, forgive me master."  
"Keep watch on him Wormtail, do not tell anyone you are. Not even those who already watch him, they may inadvertently alert him. If he thinks to plot against me he shall never think again, I will mutilate his mind and leave him an empty shell. Keep watch for me my little rat, should he play me false you will inform me immediately."  
"Yes master."  
"Go."  
  
***  
  
Lyn was waiting with one of her subordinates when her own master reappeared in their current lair. She watched closely as the black-coated vampire slipped through the door, his eyes were tinted with yellow, never a good sign.  
"When do we kill master?" the junior vampire next to her snarled, unwisely as it turned out.  
Whirling the Reaper lashed out with his scythe, before Lyn could blink the vampire's head was separated from his shoulders and he exploded into dust. "Damn kids." muttered the master vampire, putting away the blade. His eyes flicked to Lyn, "Come."  
She followed him down the hall to a side room. The Reaper waited until they were both seated and then spoke, "Our targets have changed again, and not for the better."  
Lyn hissed in annoyance, "Who?" The Reaper handed her the tablet, she looked at it, baring her fangs. "What?! This is outrageous, why can't we have them?!"  
"No reason." The Reaper said quietly.  
"No reason! Bloody hell I'll..." Lyn broke off, seeing the look in her master's eye, "No reason?"  
"None," the Reaper grinned, "so I don't really see a reason to think this list is anything important." His fist came down on the tablet, shattering it into tiny fragments. "In fact, I think I'm going to send a little expedition to pick two of them up."  
Lyn's eyes sparkled, "Me master?"  
"I'm afraid not, you'll be having too much fun with our little excursion in four days to want to leave." The Reaper leaned back in his chair, "As soon as he gets back send Drake to me, and the Transylvanians, they know the territory." He grinned, "Meanwhile, I'll make plans for the third."  
"Yes master," Lyn smiled in fiendish delight, "looks like we do things differently now."  
"You bet your breakfast we do!" The Reaper laughed, "Make sure none of the others know about this, we will not speak of it from this time forward is that clear?" Lyn nodded eagerly, the Reaper rubbed his hands together, "Now, it's been far too quiet so far. I think it's high time this war got a little more interesting, for Voldemort, for Dumbledore, and of course for dear little Harry."  
  
He took a deep breath, betrayal was in the air, and it smelled good. 


	68. Chapter 67: Execution Order

Thanks for all the great reviews, congrats to all of you who figured out the sphere. I was going to keep everyone in suspense for a little while, but I couldn't be that mean. I'm already being suspenseful enough. Here it is.  
  
Chapter 67: Execution Order  
Harry wandered down the halls, vaguely heading in the direction of the front hall. Dumbledore had immediately ordered him to leave the room, Snape and Malfoy had been quite surprised that he had been there; indeed Malfoy looked like he was going to die when he saw Harry had observed him. Snape had looked apoplectic with rage, but seemingly hadn't dared to say anything in front of Dumbledore, Harry had left immediately.  
He was supposed to be getting everyone together for Lupin's challenge, but he knew Hermione would be getting them all by now and have them gathered in the front hall, so he didn't hurry. He was busily wracking his brains about what the sphere could possibly be. He had never seen its like, he wondered if Hermione knew anything about it.  
As he approached the front hall he could hear angry voices and rolled his eyes, obviously there was another argument going on. He could hear Michael and Ginny shouting at each other, but they were being drowned out by Hermione threatening them with detention if they didn't calm down.  
"Ah Harry!" she said loudly, the D.A. turned as he came through the door, most looked quite relieved to see him. "Good, now we can get on with it."  
"Is there a problem here?" Harry asked, looking from Michael to Ginny, Ginny held his gaze steadily, Michael looked away almost immediately.  
"No, there's no problem." He wandered away to Cho.  
"Good, then perhaps you are ready for my challenge." Everyone whirled to see Lupin standing in the front entranceway, regarding them with a slightly amused, slightly worried expression.  
For a long moment nobody moved, then like a flood the D.A. flocked forward around their old Professor, patting him on the back and pushing forward to shake his hand.  
"Good to see you Professor, you're still the best we've had." Dean said.  
"Ruddy good! Welcome back!" Ernie shook Lupin's hand vigorously before being supplanted by Justin.  
"Really glad you're back sir!" Parvati cooed from the back of the group.  
"Hello sir." Neville said shyly.  
Lupin smiled broadly, "Thank you all for the greeting, shall we?"  
They parted for him, he nodded to Harry, Ron and Hermione, winked at Ginny and began heading down the hallway. But he paused as a voice called out to him.  
Dumbledore was striding quickly down the stairs, an urgent look on his face, Snape followed, looking sullen, "Remus we require your presence." He turned to the D.A., "This challenge has been canceled, return to your dormitories." Ignoring the sounds of protest, he indicated Harry, Ron and Hermione, "You three are to come with us." Snape twitched, but held his silence.  
Harry exchanged questioning looks with Ron and Hermione, but Dumbledore was already leaving, they hurried to catch up. Dumbledore moved swiftly into a side, expelled Peeves with a flick of his hand and hurled Floo Powder into the fireplace, "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" He drew out the red feather, stroked the flames and beckoned the rest, "Quickly now!"  
Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried into the flames, closely followed by Lupin and Snape. When the whirling flames had dropped him on the floor of Grimmauld place Harry found himself being helped up by none other than Mundungus Fletcher. "What are they doing here?" he heard Moody's voice and a quiet answer from Tonks.  
"Ello 'arry" Mundungus muttered, sucking on his acrid smelling pipe.  
Clearing the soot off his glasses, Harry looked around. Gathered around the table and staring at him were Mrs. Weasely, Daedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, Tonks, Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They were quickly joined by Mundungus, Lupin, Snape and Dumbledore.  
Dumbledore went to the head of the table and calmly addressed them, "This emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix is now in session."  
"Headmaster," Mrs. Weasely was looking at Harry, Ron and Hermione, "should they be..."  
"They are here by my order Molly;" Dumbledore said curtly, "this matter is of concern to them." Reaching into his pocket he took out the sphere, still glowing with a golden light, and placed it on the table for all to see.  
Evidently this was of some interest, because there was much shifting and scattered mutterings among the Order members. Hermione gasped, she obviously knew what the sphere was, Harry wished he had asked her about it. Ron just looked overwhelmingly confused.  
Moody's normal eye swiveled to look at Dumbledore, while his magical one stayed fixed on the crystal sphere. "Is this what I think it is?" he growled.  
"Yes," Dumbledore replied gravely, "we have found the soul and essence of Darius Raider."  
Ron's jaw dropped, Daedalus Diggle squeaked and his purple top hat fell off, Mrs. Weasely and Hermione gasped theatrically. Harry could only stare at the glowing sphere which had now taken on a whole new significance. The soul of the man which had been removed by Voldemort unleashing the Reaper, and now they had it.  
"His soul," Emmeline Vance was staring at the sphere with a kind of intensity, "is he all right? I mean, can we...bring him back?"  
Dumbledore sighed heavily, "Alas, I do not have the knowledge at this time." Soul magic has long been a secretive and rare talent, which is why I have called this meeting." Everyone leaned forward, Harry, Ron and Hermione did so eagerly, hardly believing they were sitting in on an actual Order meeting.  
Dumbledore turned to Lupin, "Remus, I believe an old acquaintance of yours might be able to help us in this regard?"  
Lupin scratched his chin, "You're talking about Onmyoji Zao, I presume?" Dumbledore nodded, "Well, he was the world's leading expert on soul magic, though he'd never messed about with actual souls. Since Voldemort removed Darius' that would make him the leading expert, however that is hardly important. Yes he probably would be able to tell us how to use this soul sphere."  
"Can we contact him?" asked Moody immediately. "How well do you know him? Can we trust him?"  
"Yes, I met him on assignment for the Order about eighteen years ago," Lupin replied, "it's unlikely Voldemort knows of him, he's a far eastern wizard. Normally it wouldn't be hard to contact him," he thought for a moment, "but nobody knows where he is, he found the remnants of an old magical school somewhere in Eastern China and went on an expedition to study it. He hasn't come back; it might take a while to find him."  
"We must contact him quickly; we should ensoul Darius as soon as possible." There were strong nods all around the table at Dumbledore's words, "Events involving the Reaper are coming to a head, we must eliminate him from Voldemort's plans."  
"Why do you say that sir?" asked Kingsley.  
Snape spoke up authoritatively, "The Reaper was supposed to deliver something or someone to Voldemort, as of yet he has not done so, but we may not want to give him the chance."  
Harry looked down at the floor, avoiding the gazes of nearly everyone in the room; it was most likely the Reaper was to deliver him to Voldemort. He didn't see how it could be anyone else.  
"In addition," Snape continued, his eyes flicking to Mrs. Weasley, "we have reason to suspect that the Reaper has sent an expedition to Bulgaria."  
Mrs. Weasley choked and Ron shifted uncomfortably, "They don't know where they are do they Severeus?" Mrs. Weasley asked desperately, earning her some sympathetic looks from the others.  
Snape's voice was flat, "It does not seem so, but we do not know their status or whereabouts either. The Reaper has sent his lieutenant Maximilien Drake and a group of Translyvanian vampires who know the Bulgarian and Romanian mountains very well. They are presumably to find the Weasley brothers and either kill them, or more likely bring them back to the Reaper. If we remove the Reaper both of these efforts will presumably cease."  
"Indeed? Well I'm glad we agree on that." said a sweet, girlish voice.  
Everyone in the room whirled to see Dolores Jane Umbridge standing in the doorway; an angry Professor McGonagall was behind her.  
Chaos broke loose, Mrs. Weasley pulled her wand and the others had a difficult time stopping her. Harry himself found his hand edging towards his wand as he gazed upon the hated toadlike woman.  
Dumbledore simply turned to her and nodded politely, "I assume you have a good reason for interrupting this meeting Dolores, last I recall you were awaiting shipment to Azkaban for high crimes."  
"Pardoned by the Minister himself Dumbledore, Umbridge returned in that falsely sweet voice of hers, "oh don't worry, your magic ban is still in effect, but I am still working for the Minister."  
Ron's face was slowly turning the deepest shade of red Harry had ever seen, Hermione had a look of utmost loathing on her face, as did most everyone in the room. "I'm here to deliver this," Umbridge said, smirking she placed an official parchment on the table, "do follow its guidelines. It's an execution order 'Kill on Sight' for that nasty vampire you were just discussing. The Minister feels the ensouling project is far too risky to waste on a mere part-human."  
"Kill Darius!?" Emmeline Vance looked truly horrified, "What kind of order is that!?"  
"A straightforward one," Umbridge smirked even more, "Azkaban is the penalty should you fail to comply." Her eyes shifted to Harry, shaking with rage in the corner, "I do know how some of you believe yourself above the rules."  
Harry's wand was out and pointed before Hermione could stop him, "Say that again you old toad!" Harry hissed, his anger boiling inside of him.  
Umbridge took a step back, "Have a care Potter, I am still..."  
"A convicted felon," Dumbledore said quietly, the room seemed to vibrate with silent power, "now reduced to a messenger girl for a failing Minister. I hardly think you in any position to threaten anyone, least of all Harry. You have delivered your message, leave or I will not stop him from doing whatever it is he is planning to do with that wand."  
Umbridge swallowed visibly, her eyes darting around to the multitude of hostile stares she was drawing from around the room, passing over Dumbledore, finally resting on Harry's wand. She said nothing, but slowly backed out the door. Harry could hear her dashing for the door as soon as she was out of sight.  
Silence reigned in the room for long moments, and then Harry lowered his wand. Dumbledore relaxed visibly, but the aura of power and purpose did not leave him. "Remus find Master Zao, go immediately. You may use any assets available to the Order, and take someone with you."  
Lupin's eyes flicked to Tonks, she seemed momentarily taken aback, but then nodded. "Sure, I'll go."  
"Good," Dumbledore waved his hand at them, "go now, we have little time to waste."  
Lupin walked over and shook hands with the three of them, "I'll see you all later, sorry we couldn't do the challenge."  
Tonks bounded up, tripped, fell at their feet with a clatter and jumped up in the same movement. "Well we're off, see you around." Her eyes twinkled as she followed Lupin out the door.  
Harry looked at the "Kill on Sight" order as Dumbledore folded it up and placed it in his robes, along with the soul sphere. He wondered what on earth was going to happen next. 


	69. Chapter 68: Veritas

Well I've gotten some excellent new reviewers, welcome to Merlin-dcsa and Froggyy1, I'm glad you've found and refound my story.  
  
Glad everyone enjoyed the chapter, here's the next one, I'm going to try and get them out faster, but it's becoming difficult, I may finish this story sometime in the early summer.  
  
Chapter 68: Veritas  
As the Order meeting went on to other matters, Professor McGonagall escorted Harry, Ron and Hermione back to Hogwarts. They stepped through the fireplace in a contemplative silence. Professor McGonagall looked at them sternly.  
"What you have heard," she said firmly, "must stay a complete and absolute secret."  
"Of course Professor, we won't tell anyone." Ron said quickly.  
Apparently his voice was a little too offhand because the Professor's eyes narrowed, "This is a serious matter Mr. Weasley, and I need not remind you that there are many who would kill in a heartbeat to gain such information as you have just been privy to. The fewer who know you have such knowledge the better."  
She glared around at them once more to make sure they felt the intensity then waved her hand dismissively, "Go to your dormitories and remember what I have told you." A small smile flickered across her face, "And congratulations for acquiring the Quidditch Cup once again boys, do try to make it a trend."  
Both Harry and Ron were grinning all the way to Gryffindor Tower, only Hermione remained pensive and thoughtful. They went through the portrait hole, only to be accosted by several curious Gryffindors.  
"What was that all about?" asked Katie Bell loudly.  
"Yeah! Why did they cancel the challenge?" roared Seamus.  
"What's going on Harry?" asked Colin eagerly, "What did they tell you?"  
"Knock it off!" Ron bellowed so loudly some second years started in the corner and their entire deck of Exploding Snap cards blew up with a loud bang. Apparently one of them had a Weasley's Wizard Bangs firecracker in his bag, the rocket shot off into the air with a vicious whistle, trailing slivery sparks. The resulting chaos allowed Harry, Ron and Hermione to get over to the fire and away from the inquisitive D.A. members.  
"Ruddy inquisitive prats," grumbled Ron, "can't even let us sit down."  
"You can't really blame them for being curious though," Harry replied, ducking as the rocket hissed by overhead. "We did leave them without much of an explanation. Not to mention that's two challenges we've had canceled now, If they cancel the last one I'll really be annoyed."  
"Bite your tongue," Ron said, "Snape will be the one giving the challenge this time remember?"  
Hermione, who had heretofore been uncharacteristically silent in the face of rule breaking, finally spoke up, "I do wonder what the Reaper was supposed to deliver to Voldemort."  
Ron paled slightly, but avoided commenting on her usage of Voldemort's name, "Probably us and Harry right? I mean, that's what Dumbledore said when this whole mess got started."  
"But I wonder if he's right," Hermione continued quietly, "he's been wrong before."  
"What makes you think that Hermione?" asked Harry, he wasn't sure what she was getting at.  
"Well, Professor Snape said the Reaper was supposed to deliver someone or something to Voldemort, so it doesn't necessarily have to be a person does it? And," she lowered her voice, "something very valuable has disappeared from this school."  
"The sword?" Ron scratched his chin, "I never thought of that. Do you think he had it stolen?"  
"Maybe. Of course it doesn't make sense for Voldemort to have the Reaper do it anyway..." Hermione continued, now sounding like she was debating with herself.  
Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Why not Hermione?"  
"Because he's a vampire Harry." She stated, as if that explained everything.  
Ron snorted sarcastically, "Is it just me or is that common knowledge?"  
"Oh don't be a prat Ron, the Reaper is a vampire." Hermione said again.  
"We seem to be getting nowhere with this." Harry remarked.  
"You two! Are you ever going to take a hint and read Hogwarts a History?!" Hermione exploded.  
"And are you ever going to just tell us something without calling our reading habits in to question?!" Ron shot right back.  
"What does it say about this Hermione?" Harry cut in, before they could really get into it.  
"It says that there are special wards on the Hogwarts grounds," Hermione said primly, "any vampire that sets foot on the grounds for more than a couple seconds is instantly purified into dust. It extends out into part of the Forbidden Forest too, that's the way I think Hagrid's vampire got away, but I don't really know how."  
"So asking the Reaper to get something from here is not the most effective way to get it." Harry said, "Why did he ask the Reaper to do it then?"  
"I don't know," Hermione replied, "we just don't know enough yet."  
They sat in silence for a while, trying to puzzle out the mystery. Harry promised himself he would practice his Legilimency religiously when Dumbledore thought he was ready. He hated not knowing what was going on.  
Apparently he wasn't the only one, "What happened out there?" Ginny placed herself in front of all of them, her arms crossed. "Why hasn't Remus come back? Why can't we do the challenge?"  
Harry and Ron looked at each other, remembering McGonagall's stern warning. The last thing Harry wanted was to give Ginny information that might make her a target. He could tell that Ron was thinking the same thing.  
Ginny's eyes narrowed at seeing them hesitate. Both boys squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze. "Well you see Ginny, it's like this," Harry began tentatively, "We're not supposed to..."  
"Oh for heaven's sake! Come on Ginny, I'll tell you!" Harry and Ron looked on in stupefaction as Hermione stood up and led Ginny off to the girl's dormitories.  
"Is it just me or did she just deliberately break a direct order from McGonagall?" Ron asked slowly.  
"I guess she'll do it for a friend," Harry said, shaking his head, "well let's get some sleep."  
"Sure," Ron pushed his tall frame out of the chair, but he paused halfway to the staircase, "What's this?"  
He stopped and held up a small, black book, "It must have fallen out of her robes, what do you suppose it is?"  
"Don't look in it mate," Harry said quickly, "what if it's a diary?"  
Ron took a quick glance inside, "No, there aren't any dates. Looks like research notes," His face turned dark, "maybe this is what she spends so much time in the library with Vicky for." He opened it again and beckoned Harry, "Let's have a look."  
Harry rather felt this might be a bad idea, but his curiosity got the better of him. They both bent over the book. In a moment Ron snorted, "What is this stuff?! I thought she knew Divination was useless, look it's a load of stuff about prophecy's and that creepy room in the Department of Mysteries."  
Harry's stomach flip-flopped; Hermione was researching the prophecies of the Department of Mysteries. Why? But then his heart sank, there could be no other reason. She suspected something about the prophecy, maybe what his copy had said during Moody's challenge, maybe something Lucius Malfoy had said that night in the Prophecy Room. Either way it didn't matter, she had been looking into it behind his back.  
Harry pulled the book from Ron's hands, "I'll take care of this mate."  
Ron looked doubtful, "Maybe we should just leave it, so she can find it later you know?"  
"No, somebody else might pick it up; I'll give it back to her later." Harry tried to keep the angry tone out of his voice; he couldn't believe Hermione had gone behind his back about this. Although he had kept the secret of the terrible prophecy from his friends, that was still no excuse for her covert dealings. What if she had told Krum?  
Ron nodded and headed up to the dormitories, Harry was right behind him, still wracking his brain about how to handle this situation.  
  
***  
  
The next day Harry didn't know what to do about the notebook; he wasn't sure how to approach the issue. Hermione didn't act like anything was wrong, and Ron just assumed that he would give it back without a fuss and didn't ask him about it.  
Ginny seemed quite at ease with the knowledge that McGonagall had described as life-threatening. In fact she looked just fine with it, but then again she always looked fine to Harry.  
As it turned out Harry didn't have to bring the subject up himself. The Gryffindor sixth years were all headed up to the portrait of the Fat Lady after Charms when Harry heard Hermione speak quietly to Ron.  
"Erm, Ron? Did you see me drop something sometime last night?"  
"Do you mean this?" Harry asked loudly, as they fell behind the rest of their classmates.  
She looked up in surprise, seeing the notebook in Harry's hand her eyes widened, "Oh! Yes, thank you Harry. Um, did you happen to look in it?"  
"Not very much," Harry replied in a low voice, "but I read more than I need to know."  
Hermione wouldn't meet his eyes as she reached for the notebook; Harry pulled it back out of reach. Ron just looked supremely confused.  
"I think we need to talk." Seeing the corridor deserted Harry stopped and faced her.  
"What is this about?" asked Ron, looking from one to the other.  
Harry just looked at Hermione, "You just had to know didn't you?" he said, glaring at her, "there's not one thing that's not your business."  
Hermione snatched the book, her eyes narrowing, "That's what I get for being worried about you?"  
"Would somebody please tell me what is going on?" Ron burst in.  
"She's been snooping again!" Harry bit out, "that's what's going on, she's been investigating behind my back!"  
"So that stuff was about you?" Ron said, "Blimey!"  
"You just never learn when to leave stuff alone do you?" Harry was still glaring at Hermione.  
Hermione's face flushed, "Let me tell you something Harry Potter, trying to figure out why your best friend is keeping an important piece of information from you is not wrong!" She shook her finger at him, "What have you not been telling us?!"  
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe there are things you don't want to know?!" Harry struggled not to get heated. "Why pry into this?"  
"Because Harry, I thought that if I found out about it, then maybe I could talk you out of lifting the entire burden of this war onto your shoulders." Hermione said earnestly, "It's like I said Harry, you're only sixteen! It's not like you have to kill Voldemort yourself!"  
Harry grinned ironically, "And you think that's a safe assumption do you?"  
"What..." Hermione's eyes grew wide, Ron looked vague for a second, then his demeanor changed to total shock.  
"Is...Is that what it was?" Hermione asked quietly.  
Before Harry could say anything another voice intervened, "As fascinating as all this teenage drama is I'm going to have to interrupt you."  
The three turned to see Snape eying them distastefully, "It's time for your challenge Potter, do try and be punctual, I know how hard that is. Meet me at the front entrance to the grounds." With a whirl of his black cape he was gone.  
Harry turned around to see his two best friends looking at him with renewed concern and awe. "We'll talk about this later okay?" He turned on his heel and headed for the dormitories. It was time to summon the D.A. 


	70. Chapter 69: The Potions Master's Challen...

Sorry for the cliffhanger, and the delay. This week is finals week so don't expect another update for a little while, I have to concentrate on my studies. Maybe next weekend.  
  
Welcome to my new reviewer snikle21, sorry to leave you hanging like that.  
  
And I'm making a pitch for one of my faithful reviewers, if you like my story I'd like to recommend "Harry Potter and the Power of Emotion" by Melindaleo. She's easily as gifted a writer as all of you claim I am.  
  
Chapter 69: The Potions Master's Challenge  
Harry hurriedly sent out the other Gryffindors to gather up the D.A., trying not to think about the conversation that awaited him after the challenge. They dispersed without question, only Ginny hung back upon seeing Harry's face. His look said everything plainly, 'They know.' She gave him a sympathetic glance and then hurried away.  
Ron and Hermione followed him silently as they headed down to the front doors. Harry could feel their eyes boring into the back of his head; you could have cut the tension with a severing charm. Harry wasn't sure what to feel, now that they finally knew. His prevailing feeling was a great sense of apprehension; Ginny had accepted the terrible fate meted out to him without reservation. Would Ron and Hermione be able to do the same? He hoped so; it was fear of their reactions that had led him to hold back for so long, now he'd just have to face it.  
But that didn't matter right now, now he had a challenge to face, set for him by the person he most wanted to show he could do well. Beating a challenge Snape had set for him personally would be a great vindication for Harry.  
Harry had used the fake Galleon to put the call out in addition to sending runners, so the rest of the D.A. was already there as he approached. The tension didn't seem to lessen with more people present, in fact a lot of them looked nervous, especially Neville. Craning his neck Harry could see why, Snape stood in front of another silvery orb portkey on a small table, his hooded eyes swept back and forth across the hushed students like a searchlight.  
"All right everyone gather up!" Harry said loudly, the D.A. clustered around him.  
"A bonding cheer Potter?" Snape's voice rose sarcastically, Harry strove to ignore him.  
"Don't mind him; just do what we always do. Trust each other and watch each others backs, we'll do fine. Let's put this one in the bag!" He was met by some firm nods; nobody seemed inclined to cheer after Snape's remark.  
"Are you ready Potter? Or are you having second thoughts?" Snape crossed his arms and sneered.  
Harry stepped to the front of the group, "We're ready." He said firmly.  
Snape's eyes narrowed at Harry's omission of "sir" but only sneered more, "Very well, first you will all close your eyes. I will know if you do not." He looked directly at Neville, who gulped in spite of himself, Luna took his hand.  
Sure that he wasn't going to like this, Harry nodded to the D.A. Everyone slowly closed their eyes, looking nervously at the waiting Potions Professor. Harry checked to make sure everyone had their eyes closed, glad for a relief from the stares of Ron and Hermione. After he was sure, he looked Snape in the eye and closed his own.  
For a moment nothing happened, then he heard Snape's voice, "Imperio!"  
His eyes flew open, but Snape was already putting his wand away, he hadn't seen who the spell had been directed at. Everyone looked shocked at this blatant use of a curse that was worth a life sentence in Azkaban, Harry wondered if Snape had even bothered to get permission to use it.  
"One of you is now under the Imperius curse," Snape said, unnecessarily, "that person will be doing his or her best to hinder your completion of this challenge."  
Harry glanced over his shoulder; to his dismay he could see that all his people were eyeing each other speculatively, as if waiting for someone to sprout horns and red eyes. And he had told them to trust one another, what a way to start. He bit back his anger; he wouldn't give Snape the satisfaction.  
Snape could obviously see the results of his curse anyway, his sneering grin boiled Harry's blood. "Your challenge is this, Mr. Lupin put together a little obstacle course for his challenge, and since he no longer has a use for it I have improved it. You will portkey into the obstacle course." He looked directly at Harry, "Since you have a traitor in your midst and I have my doubts about your capabilities, only one of you needs to make it to the end, it will be marked by a golden doorway. No questions, go now, I will be watching."  
Without looking at Snape, Harry waved his hand for the D.A. to gather around, "On three, one..."  
Neville was gripping Luna's hand tightly, her face shone with excitement. Hannah Abbot was gazing at the orb like it was about to mutate into a skrewt.  
"Two..."  
Michael Corner was trying his level best to look tough, and was only succeeding because he was standing next to Lavender, Parvati and Cho. Ron was one of the few who did not look nervous; he looked ready to portkey anywhere and start breaking heads. Hermione, looked resolute, but her eyes still darted to Harry furtively.  
"Three!" Harry reached out and put his hand on the portkey, he felt the jerk, and they were on their way.  
The first thing Harry noticed upon arriving in the obstacle course was that he arrived with a splash as opposed to a thump. The second thing he noticed was Hermione's shout, "NOBODY MOVE!"  
Everyone froze in various strange and ridiculous poses; very slowly Harry turned his head and looked around. They were in a domelike room; he could vaguely see a small door out of the corner of his left eye. But his gaze was inevitably drawn to the floor.  
They were standing in what appeared to be a thin film of water. At least Harry thought it was water, it rippled and flowed just like it, but it seemed to be whitish silver instead of blue. He was also aware of a low level humming sound, which seemed to be coming from the "water" on the floor.  
"Hermione what's the problem?" Harry asked, "What is this stuff?"  
"I'm not sure Harry," Hermione replied, struggling not to move, "but I think it's a pool of Haku."  
"What?" Ron was bent forward heavily, "What does it do?"  
"Don't move," Hermione said again, "Haku are spirits, but without the human soul element. Haku combines with a human soul to create a ghost, that's its purpose. But if it comes into contact with a normal human it tries to absorb the soul, it will pull you down and trap you if you move."  
"Bloody hell!" Seamus spat viciously, standing ramrod straight, "You have got to be kidding me! I bet this was one of that git's new additions!"  
"What do we do?" asked Ginny, then she looked around, "And who's missing?"  
"Dennis is gone!" Colin shrieked, he sounded near panic, "He was here when we stopped, I'm sure of it!"  
"Ernie fell," Susan said, she was still calm but here muscles were shaking from the exertion of holding herself up. "he didn't stop in time."  
"Terry too," Cho piped up from somewhere behind Harry, "He was pulled down too."  
"How do we know that!?" Michael Corner's voice rose angrily, "How do we know that's really what this stuff does!?"  
Ron glared at him, "Because Hermione just told you, that's why!"  
"And how do you know she's not the traitor?!" Michael shot back, "She could be telling us to do exactly what we shouldn't be doing! We can't trust anyone!"  
"Including you!" Neville said heatedly.  
This statement was followed by an apprehensive silence, finally Harry sighed, "All right, here's what we'll do..."  
"Should we even take orders from you?!" Michael interrupted, "How do we know you're not the traitor?!"  
"Because," Harry replied, trying valiantly to keep his voice even, "I can throw off the Imperius curse. I did it in fourth year." Michael closed his mouth.  
Harry looked undecided for a moment, gazing at Hermione, looking for some way to see that she was telling the truth. Hermione met his gaze calmly; Harry fancied her mind was already at full speed, trying to figure a way out of their predicament.  
Katie Bell looked from Harry to Hermione, and around at all the doubtful glances being shot at Hermione by the others. She smiled, "Well, there's only one way to find this out. Do good guys; see you on the other side." She met Harry's eyes, "You beat that old git." Before anyone could even cry out she straightened up and placed her other foot down.  
"Katie!" shouted Ginny, but it was already too late. Silvery strands of Haku raced up her leg, in the blink of an eye they had engulfed the Quidditch Captain and pulled her down into the floor. Then the liquid smoothed over and became calm again, wiping any trace of Katie Bell from the room.  
"Bloody hell!" Seamus swore again, everyone's eyes were riveted on the space Katie had occupied, an utter hush spread across the D.A.  
Harry swallowed hard, that was not the way he had wanted to prove that Hermione wasn't lying. "All right," he said firmly, "everybody partner up quickly. When I say go, everyone cast a levitation charm and we'll maneuver one at a time over to the door. We have to be able to hold the charms until everyone can get out. Ready?"  
Everyone indicated their readiness to him, taking a deep breath and hoping he wasn't about to lose more members, Harry raised his wand, "GO!"  
Wingardium Leviosa rang out from all directions and the D.A. rose sedately, if a little shakily, into the air. The next few minutes were a blur of shouted orders, swearing, and maneuvering everyone through the doorway. Harry left last, after levitating Colin out successfully.  
The next room was a large, square, red one, with no apparent hazards, just another doorway opposite the one they had come through. Nobody went up and looked through it. For a few minutes everyone just milled about, panting from the efforts of the escape, unwinding the tensions from strained muscles, and calming frazzled nerves.  
"All right, good job everyone. Let's move on to the next one. And," Harry said firmly, "if anyone notices anything odd about somebody else, let me know quietly. Big things, not little inconsequential stuff, we don't' want to waste time." He turned away, appalled at the amount of suspicion in the eyes of the members as they looked at each other.  
He carefully poked his head into the next room, but saw nothing to indicate any immediate danger. The walls were made of grey stone blocks, put together with fragmented and irregular mortar there was a large stone door across the room. Gingerly he stepped into the room, followed by the D.A. Everyone began circling nervously, their wands pointed outward.  
"See anything?" Harry asked.  
"Nothing mate," Ron said quietly, "what d'you suppose this is?"  
Before anyone could offer a hypothesis there was a click from the wall on Harry's left and a small, dark object flew out of a crack in the mortar with a vicious whistle. Susan Bones cried out and clutched her arm, falling to the ground.  
"What is it?!" Justin and Dean caught her as she fell. Luna leaned forward calmly and pulled a thin, black sliver from Susan's arm. It was sharply pointed on both ends and cylindrical.  
"Susan!" Hannah Abbot knelt next to her as the boys lowered her to the floor, "Are you all right?!"  
Susan winced, but managed a nod, "It...just...hurts...a lot." She gasped; gripping the place the dart had hit her tightly.  
"What is this thing?" Neville asked, inspecting the dart as Luna held it up.  
Hermione opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a shriek from Hannah Abbot. "What's happening to her?!"  
Harry dashed over, "Everyone keep back!" he yelled. He looked down at Susan, but even as he did she seemed to be fading away. He blinked and she was gone, without a trace. "Looks like you don't want to get hit with one of those things." Ginny remarked grimly.  
Harry looked up; everyone was staring fearfully at him. He opened his mouth to say something reassuring, he wasn't really sure what. But another noise intruded, a series of small clicks coming from all around them.  
"DOWN!" he roared, knowing it was too late, he desperately tried to cast a shield charm, seeing everyone trying to do the same.  
Darts flew from all directions, two dozen at least. Several of the D.A. had shields up, but not enough to cover the entire group from all directions. Darts ricocheted and whined all over them.  
Harry saw Dean hit in the lower back, he fell on a shrieking Hannah as Justin took another in the chest. Michael dived for the ground as Anthony Goldstein yelled in pain, pulling Cho with him, but she was hit by a dart fired from the ceiling. Parvati's shield hissed with sparks as several darts ricocheted off of it, unfortunately they flew around Lavender's and she too went down with a dart in her wrist.  
"Hermione!" Harry yelled, desperately as Lavender fell, leaving Hermione's back exposed to three darts. They flew at her with incredible speed; Harry knew he couldn't stop them.  
But someone else could, Ron rose up from the floor, grabbed Hermione from behind and pulled her to his chest. Harry just arrived as all three darts hit Ron in the back. He saw Ron stiffen and grit his teeth, but he did not cry out.  
"Ron!" Hermione turned quickly, "Are you all right!?"  
Incredibly, Ron was still standing. Harry couldn't imagine how much three darts must have hurt, but his friend managed a tight grin. "I'm fine Hermione, don't worry." He turned quickly so she couldn't see his back, "Ginny needs help with Dean, hurry, I've got to help er...Harry."  
Hermione looked at him, Harry knew she suspected something was wrong, but seeing Ginny bent over Dean she smiled at both of them and hurried away. Only when she was engrossed did Ron sink to his knees and fall forward.  
"Ron!" Harry caught the taller boy and managed to slow his descent.  
"Blimey mate," Ron said quietly, "she almost got it there."  
"Why in the bloody... What did you mean by not telling her?!" Harry was baffled.  
"You need her mate...She's more useful than me anyway." Ron winced, "Before I go I just have to do this..."  
Harry nodded, "What mate?"  
To his great surprise Ron let out a string of profanity that lasted a full minute. Then, "Snape'd better hope he's not wherever I end up." And Ron faded away as Harry watched.  
Harry stared for a long moment, then pushed himself up and yelled to the remaining D.A. "Let's get out of here! Neville, Seamus, the door!"  
The two boys threw their weight against the door as the rest dashed up behind them. It swung forward, admitting them to another red room. The D.A. hurried through and shoved the door shut frantically as another series of clicks sounded from the deadly dart room.  
Harry looked around; only he, Hermione, Ginny, Parvati, Seamus, Colin, Neville, Hannah, Michael, and Luna were left. Hannah, Parvati, and Colin all seemed close to panic. Ginny and Luna were still calm and collected, Seamus and Michael just looked angry. Hermione looked over at him, "Ron?" Harry could only shake his head.  
"Well this is a fine state of affairs." Muttered Michael sullenly, grimacing at Harry, "Now what?"  
"We keep going." Harry said firmly, "Only one of us has to make it out of here."  
"At the rate we're going there won't be one of us left." Seamus ground his teeth in frustration, "What about the traitor?"  
"Odds are whoever it was has been eliminated." Hermione said sagely, but she didn't look convinced.  
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Harry said, "Let's go."  
Wearily they followed him to the next doorway; Harry peered through into the largest room yet. The walls were pitch black, like only the grey ceiling and floor existed. But across a fair distance Harry saw a very welcome sight. The golden doorway gleamed in the darkness. The floor had several iron chains stretched across it, one end fastened to a large ring in the floor.  
"There it is!" shouted Colin, "It's the doorway!" He ran out into the room, leaping over the chain, but tripping over the iron ring.  
"No!" shouted Ginny, "Colin be careful!" She dashed after him; Harry gritted his teeth and followed with his wand at the ready. He had the worst kind of feeling about this. The rest of the D.A. covered every direction and edged after him nervously.  
Just as Ginny reached Colin and began to pull him up Harry saw a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. He whipped around to see the wall to the left shift and began to twist inward on itself.  
"Ginny! Colin! Run for the door!" Harry shouted, but once again the trap had taken him by surprise. The flat wall became a whirling vortex; a powerful wind began to draw everything into it. Harry dived forward and seized the chain, holding on with all his might as he was lifted into the air. Hermione, Hannah and Luna followed suit, Colin and Ginny grabbed the ring.  
Seamus tripped into Parvati and both were sucked out of sight. Michael hurled an angry insult at Harry that Harry couldn't hear, and he too flew into the air and disappeared. Only one person stood firm in the middle of the gale force wind.  
  
Neville.  
  
Neville Longbottom calmly began to walk over to the chain, seemingly impervious to the powerful vacuum of the magical vortex. His eyes were blank and vague. Harry stared, of course...Who better to choose as the traitor than someone who was used to fading into the background. And Neville was quite accustomed to doing what Snape said quickly and without question for fear of attracting his notice. Now that he saw it, it all made perfect sense.  
"Neville no!" he shouted, Hermione and Luna just looked bewildered as Hannah lost her grip on the chain and vanished, silently for once. Neville walked up to where Ginny and Colin were hanging onto the ring. Harry struggled to aim his wand, but the wind made it impossible. He could only watch as Neville leaned down and tapped the chain with his own wand, breaking it in two.  
As he began sliding backwards Harry thought of one last thing, raising his wand he sent one last banishing spell. He just had time to see it pick up Ginny and Colin and hurl them through the golden doorway before the darkness claimed him. 


	71. Chapter 70: Marked Man

I had to cut this chapter short, it's hectic moving back home from college. The next one will be longer.  
  
Chapter 70: Marked Man  
Harry didn't know how long he was out, but he suspected it wasn't very long, when the suffocating blackness receded he was lying on the floor where he had portkeyed from with Ron helping him up. "Harry mate! Are you all right?!"  
Harry clapped his hands over his ears, "Don't shout!?"  
Ron winced and patted his shoulder, "Sorry mate, your ears will be all right in a tick. Everyone else was."  
Harry looked around, the disappeared members of the D.A. were all around him, he was pleased to see the Colin and Ginny were not among them. He caught sight of Snape and the pleasure snuffed out like a candle. The Potions Master's smirk upon seeing Harry was galling. "If someone made it to the end Potter," Snape said loudly, "they will appear here with the portkey I used to send you, as of now no student has done so. As a result I seem to have no choice but to..."  
There was a flash and Ginny and Colin appeared directly behind him, the portkey in their hands. The D.A. began a cheer, but Snape silenced them with a look. Turning he scowled at Ginny and Colin, then he reached down and picked up the portkey. He looked at it quite distastefully, like it had failed him somehow. He took a small glance over his shoulder, "Challenge completed." he bit out, and then turned and walked away stiffly.  
Utter silence reigned until he had disappeared, then a roar of triumph broke from the D.A. that rattled the windows. Ginny and Colin disappeared under a mob of people intent on offering congratulations. Harry grinned at the shocked looks on their faces before they vanished under the tumult.  
"Well," Katie Bell grinned at Harry, "we beat that old git."  
Harry couldn't help but smile wider, "Damn right we did!" He shook his finger at her, "Don't you ever do something insane like that again, okay?"  
Katie shivered, "No argument here. It seemed like the best thing to do at the time, but I don't think I'll ever do it again." Harry winced in sympathy; he didn't really want to know what it felt like to be absorbed by the Haku.  
"I'm so sorry Harry!" Neville dashed up, "I couldn't stop it! I'm sorry!" He looked on the edge of a breakdown.  
"Hey, don't worry about it Neville." Harry patted him on the shoulder, not really sure what else to say, "It's in the past, we won these challenges as a team, so we're all the winners today. You did your best, and it was more than enough, so don't worry about it."  
Neville nodded, still looking sad, Luna came over, kissed him on the cheek, and led him after the rest of the D.A. Ginny and Colin were hoisted into the air and carried out of the front hall by the cheering mob heading in the direction of the kitchens. Harry was pretty sure there would be a large party underway in a very short while.  
  
"Here's to the D.A.!" roared Ernie MacMillan loudly, raising his butterbeer bottle. "And to our worthy leader Harry Potter! We came, we saw and WE BLOODY WELL DESTROYED!!!"  
His pronouncement was met by raucous cheers of "Hear! Hear!" by the assembled D.A. They were in an unused classroom big enough to accommodate all of them. A party atmosphere prevailed, aided by the food and drinks Harry and Ron had raided from the kitchens with the help of Dobby.  
The only members who weren't quite ecstatic were Neville, who was still in a funk over the Imperius Curse, Michael Corner, who seemed determined to not be happy, and Hannah Abbot, whose nerves were completely shot and needed some serious reinforcement from Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones.  
Harry joined the rest in the toast and shook his head; it sure felt good to do this. Ginny tapped him on the shoulder, Colin was standing behind her. "You know they really should have carried you out of the hall like that." She said, topping off his glass of butterbeer. "That banishing charm saved the day." Colin nodded vigorously.  
Harry grinned, "Actually it's kind of nice to not be the hero for once." He looked around at the party, "I could really get used to this."  
"C'mon Harry," Colin was incredulous, "who'd rather be ordinary?"  
Harry looked over to a corner, where Ron and Hermione were whispering heatedly together, "You'd be surprised." he muttered.  
Ginny followed his gaze, her expression turned concerned, "Do you want me to..." she began, gesturing in the direction of Ron and Hermione.  
Harry held up a hand, "No," he said tiredly, "no you don't have to be there, go enjoy the party, I'll tell them."  
Ginny's brown eyes stared into his, "They'll be all right with it Harry, they're your friends."  
"They're my family, or part of it anyway." he smiled sadly at Ginny, "That's why I wish they didn't have to know about this, it's a curse."  
Ginny opened her mouth, but then shut it again. She squeezed his arm briefly and then went back to talking with Luna. Harry sighed deeply and then made his way towards his friends.  
"What do you mean we shouldn't ask him?" Ron was saying as Harry approached, "You were the one who was doing all this investigating and now you're telling me we shouldn't ask?"  
"It's different now Ron, I didn't know," Hermione replied in a sad voice, "maybe we should just leave it for a while."  
"Wish you'd thought to do that before I decided to do this." Harry said as he came up behind her. Hermione squeaked, spilling her pumpkin juice down the front of Ron's shirt.  
"Harry! We were just...um..."  
"I know what you were doing," Harry shook his head at Hermione's look of discomfiture, "come on, I've got some things to tell you."  
Hermione set her glass down and followed Harry without complaint. Ron looked sadly at his plate of éclairs, but put it down too and caught up with them at the door. Harry glanced back, Ginny was holding forth about something, covering their departure. His heart seemed to swell at the sight, at that moment he knew he had to tell her, and soon.  
They walked out the front doors; lights were burning merrily in Hagrid's cabin, illuminating the gryphon still pacing in the paddock. Harry saw the Whomping Willow busily swatting at some terrified crows and briefly considered going to the Shrieking Shack to explain everything. But he set that idea aside, what he needed to tell them could be said out here.  
He stopped at the edge of the lake and sat down, making sure there was nobody about that could overhear them, even peering into the lake itself to see if an errant mermaid, or perhaps Moaning Myrtle, was under the surface. They were alone.  
Harry heard Ron and Hermione both sink down onto the shoreline next to him. Neither said a word, in fact both seemed quite tongue tied with suspense. He took a deep breath, turned to them, and began.  
  
When he had finished telling his tale Harry sat back and waited for the thunder to break. Ron's eyes were so wide they looked like tea saucers; he was staring blankly out over the lake with a lost look on his face. Hermione's eyes were shut, but Harry could see them moving beneath her lids, he could almost see the sharpest mind in the school bending itself to another problem, searching for a solution.  
"So now you know what this war is," Harry said quietly, "and how it ends. I've been marked as an equal," he ran his finger along the scar; "I've lost my parents, now it's him and me. Somehow I have a power he doesn't know about, but I'll be damned if I know what it is."  
"Blimey mate..." Ron turned to look at him, "This is just...This is really..." he shook his head like a confused dog, "Blimey."  
"This is it Harry?" Hermione asked, Harry was glad to see her somewhat calm and collected, he nodded, "Well...So much for convincing you not to take the weight of this war on your shoulders."  
Harry snorted, "It's been there for a while, Dumbledore told me when we got back last year."  
"Blimey mate," Ron eyes finally came back in to focus, "that long? You should have told us. We could've...We could've..." He looked beseechingly to Hermione for support.  
"We could have helped you Harry," Hermione said seriously, "you should have told us."  
"I was so afraid of what you would think..." Harry lowered his head into his hands, "Of what you would do...If you found out about what I have to do. I'm going to be a killer Hermione, if I want to live I'm going to have to kill Voldemort with my own hand. Can you stand by someone who has to do that?"  
He was still staring down at the floor when a hand landed on each of his shoulders. He looked up at his best friends in the entire world.  
Ron was actually smiling, "I'll be right there with you mate, holding you up."  
"And I'll be there to make sure you come back." Hermione's eyes sparkled with tears. "And that you both don't do something stupid."  
Harry didn't have anything to say but, "Thanks." As they stood there he began to feel that, although he had to be a killer, maybe he didn't have to be afraid of what that meant. And now, more than ever, he wanted to live. 


	72. Chapter 71: Reaper and Confessor

Welcome to all my new and first time reviewers, it's always great to have more people reading this story.  
  
Here's the chapter that's been eagerly anticipated by many for many different reasons, particularly Raine is Crazy and Melindaleo, just to name a few. I hope you all enjoy it.  
  
Chapter 71: Reaper and Confessor  
Harry Potter pulled his billowing cloak tighter around himself against the chill wind. He stood on the hill just past the winged boars looking down on a busy Hogsmeade. The last Hogsmeade weekend of the term had come. The weather was a melancholy overcast of grey clouds and fog, not the best of conditions for a frivolous day in the village.  
In the aftermath of the last challenge, none of the D.A. had quit. Several had come and told him they would prefer not doing any more challenges in the future, and an equal number had accosted him, eagerly asking if they were ever going to do something like that again. The regular D.A. club now seemed quite tame, even with misfired spells and fights between reckless or unskilled students. Harry could now look on both the original and junior D.A. with a fierce pride. He wondered if Dumbledore ever felt that way about the Order of the Phoenix.  
Dumbledore himself said nothing of it beyond generous praise during Harry's frequent Occlumency lessons. Harry was learning much faster under the less harsh tutelage of the Headmaster, he could now force him out of his mind without causing himself great strain. Legilimency was more difficult, so far Harry had not managed to break down any of Dumbledore's defenses and get into his mind. It was discouraging, but Harry was determined not to give up.  
For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts almost six years ago, Harry was actually enjoying Potions lessons. Snape seemed to have taken the D.A.'s victory rather badly, perhaps he had wanted to succeed where Moody had failed, or perhaps he had just wanted to humiliate Harry. Whatever his reason, the Potions Master would not meet Harry's eyes during lessons and went out of his way to avoid any contact.  
Harry and Ron delighted in asking complicated questions, forcing Snape to acknowledge them. Often they left him looking ready to explode, but so far they hadn't pushed him far enough to give him an excuse to hand out detentions. Though they had lost some points for Gryffindor, Harry and Ron considered them well spent. Hermione, for her part, did not take part in the baiting, but she did get a very self-satisfied look on her face during Potions lessons.  
Neither of his friends were with him at the moment, Hermione was in the library. She had taken to examining books about prophecies and fates, and historical texts about how notable dark wizards, such as Grindlewald, had been destroyed. Harry sincerely hoped she wasn't looking into ways for him to destroy Voldemort or avoid the prophecy. He knew the answer wasn't in books, but Hermione would never believe that, she had immense faith in the library. Harry sadly knew she was probably destined for disappointment.  
Ron was not with him either; he had taken Hermione's declaration that she was spending the last Hogsmeade visit in the library, possibly with Krum, very badly. Muttering about "sacrifices" and "dirty great unfairness" he had stomped down to Hogsmeade before Harry was ready. Hermione had not known what Ron had done in Snape's challenge, and for some reason Ron wouldn't tell her. Hermione also seemed to misunderstand Ron's attitude toward Krum as over protectiveness, and Ron's overreaction and mulishness didn't help matters either.  
Harry wasn't displeased about the lack of his friends however; he was actually relieved the opportunity for solitude had presented itself. What he was planning to do today could not be done with Ron and Hermione hanging about, especially Ron. Harry had finally thrown aside his doubts and decided that enough was enough, his heart seemed to want to come crashing out of his chest from all the pent up emotion.  
Come hell or high water, today he was going to tell Ginny how he felt about her, how he had felt about her for too long. He was sure now he loved her, or as close to love as a sixteen year old could get. He wasn't really sure how close that was, but the emotional intensity gave him confidence it was real and strong. He couldn't hide that away, he'd been having difficulty doing it all year and it had only grown despite all his attempts to resist or deny it. She wasn't going to sidestep him this time either, he wouldn't be deterred by excuses; he had to get this off his chest.  
Wrapping his cloak around himself, Harry set off into the bustling village. He wandered in between shops and houses for a while, not really knowing where to go. His determination notwithstanding he really didn't have any idea where Ginny was and, more importantly, if she was alone or with Dean.  
Several D.A. members called out to him as he walked, he spent a little time chatting with Ernie MacMillan and Susan Bones, both of whom were among the faction of D.A. eager for more challenges. Harry liked their confidence, it was better than having to deliver pep talks to the more nervous or self-deprecating members. Harry had found a natural affinity for the pep talks, maybe it was that sense of responsibility the prophecy had bludgeoned into him.  
Meandering around a corner past two gossiping Hufflepuffs, he found himself in front of the Three Broomsticks. Deciding he needed a break from the cold and wanting a butterbeer he went in. After getting his drink from Madame Rosmerta he found Neville, Luna, Parvati, Lavender and Seamus in a corner booth. Although he wasn't sure he'd be good company in his present frame of mind, Harry sat down with them anyway.  
He spent an enjoyable time with them, Neville was his usual quiet self, but Luna never seemed at a loss for a topic to discuss. The shocked looks on the faces of Lavender and Parvati at some of Luna's comments afforded him a good inner laugh. Seamus regaled them with a tale of getting kicked out of the Hog's Head by the irate bartender when he discovered Seamus and Dean had pirated several bottles of his shipment of firewhiskey.  
"Where did you get the way to get into his storeroom?" asked Lavender, looking quite impressed.  
"The good ole Weasley twins," Seamus replied proudly, "they said they wanted me to keep up the tradition of spiking the punch at parties and keeping a little on the side for them." He grinned like a pirate, "Good chaps, they even let me have a bottle for every three we swiped."  
Harry chuckled, "Better hope Hermione never hears about this or you'll be in detention for a month." He was beginning to think this had been a very therapeutic experience when he finally spotted his quarry.  
Ginny walked in the front door shaking out her cloak from the wind. Harry was quite pleased to see she was alone, though he guessed Dean wouldn't be far behind, he wouldn't have been if he were in Dean's place. It was now or never.  
Swallowing the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat, along with the rest of his butterbeer, he stood up. "Excuse me; I'll see you guys later." Ignoring their inquisitive glances he headed for the bar and Ginny. "Hey Ginny." he said as he walked up.  
She turned with a glass in her hand, "Oh, Harry hi! What's up?" she said cheerfully, flashing her dazzling smile at him. Her cheeks were flushed a delicate pink from the wind, her flame red hair in disarray, falling around her pretty face in strands. Harry gulped; did she know she had this effect on him? He was sure it was written all over his face.  
He winced inwardly; he was pretty sure what he was going to say would wipe the smile he liked so much off her face in a hurry. Forcing back the doubt nibbling at his resolve he spoke up, "We need to talk."  
As predicted, her smile vanished, "Oh! But Harry I..." she gestured vaguely towards the door. Harry knew an excuse was coming, probably involving Dean.  
"It's very important." He said firmly, "Please."  
She bit her lip, but nodded. "Okay. Outside?"  
Harry nodded and followed her out the door, trying to ignore the group in the corner booth staring at them. He caught up with her in the street and they walked side by side out into the cold wind. They seemed to wander aimlessly for a bit, going up and down several streets, eventually entering an empty side street just off the main road running through the village. Harry was just about to say something, when Ginny stopped and turned. She seemed to be steeling herself, Harry couldn't imagine why. What he wanted to talk about was important and surprising, but shouldn't be bad, he didn't think so anyway.  
"Look," he said, swallowing his fears and crushing his doubts for good he spoke firmly, "There's something I have to tell you, something I've wanted to tell you for a long time." He mentally kicked himself; it sounded cliché to his own ears. I held back for a lot of reasons, mostly because I was afraid, but I'm not anymore. I can't afford to be."  
Ginny took a step back, her voice placating, "Harry I..."  
"I've got to finish." Harry interrupted, stepping forward to maintain their closeness, "All through this year you've been there for me. You've been a great support and a better friend than I deserve. Now I need you to know how much you mean to me."  
Ginny turned away almost frantically, "I can't deal with this right now Harry!"  
All the continual frustration at her avoidance that had been building in Harry since first seeing her come down the stairs at the Burrow exploded. In three strides he caught her by the arm, forcing her to stop and face him. "I care for you! I love you! Why can't you understand?! Why won't you understand?!"  
Ginny wrenched away with a vehemence that shocked him, "Stop it!" she shouted back at him, "You don't know! You just don't know!"  
"What?!" Harry yelled, "What don't I know?!"  
Suddenly a white hot spark of pain shot through his scar, catching him completely off guard. He clutched his forehead until it dispersed, to be replaced by a dull throbbing. When he removed his hands he saw Ginny looking over his shoulder with an expression of horror. "Oh Merlin no!" she gasped. Harry whirled around as an eerie green light illuminated the overcast clouds.  
The Dark Mark. Everywhere he turned it sparkled in the sky, the snake and skull shining eerily, a hundred at least.  
Harry whirled back to Ginny as the shrieks and screams began in the streets around him. "Come on!" he grabbed Ginny's hand and dashed down the alley out into the main road of Hogsmeade. Everywhere people and students were screaming and pointing. The street became confused and mired as people desperate to get out of the open ran into people coming out of shops and homes to see what was happening.  
Peering through the teeming crowds, Harry could see out of Hogsmeade in both directions. What he saw sent a chill down his spine. On both sides ranks of black-robed Death Eaters were marching into the town. Their wands were held high like at the Quidditch World Cup, some bodies of outlying residents already spinning in the air above them as they shouted and sang through their ghastly masks.  
Between the advancing ranks Harry could see scores of vampires loping along, braying and shrieking like hounds on the hunt. Tall, hooded Dementors floated forward among them, their chill, sickly hands outstretched towards their prey. All in all Harry counted more than two hundred adversaries.  
"We've got to get out of here!" cried Ginny, drawing her wand, but even as she spoke Harry could see it was impossible. All along the road doors and windows were being slammed and magically sealed against the invading Dark Army. In the panic, no care was given to how many people were trapped in the streets. Harry could see at least thirty students and residents still out in the main road, facing a dark tide bearing down on them. Despite their peril all he could think about was keeping Ginny safe. His concern for her, frustration notwithstanding, made her his first priority.  
They both hurried back into the alleyway's mouth. From this vantage point Harry could see the outlying cottages burning fiercely as the Death Eaters and their forces swarmed into the town, attacking houses and shops and chasing the exposed people through the streets.  
"Look out!" shouted Ginny, as a vampire rushed up the road, "Virtuas Scorchas!" the white needle from her wand blasted the charging monster to dust. Harry made a mental note to ask her how she knew the same spell Lupin had used, but found himself distracted in the middle of it. Three more vampires, backed by four Death Eaters, were already running toward the sound of the spell before the dust from Ginny's victim had settled.  
Sending a Patronus at the closest group of Dementors, Harry seized Ginny's arm and pulled her deeper into the alley. He used a fire spell to set a nearby woodpile ablaze, then whirled his wand. "Reducto!" followed by a quick banishing charm. Their attackers were met at the alley mouth by a hail of sharp and blazing wood splinters. The two of them retreated as the vampires leapt through the obstruction howling. One fell into the thickest part of the holocaust and disintegrated, another turned away to attack someone firing spells from a nearby window, leaving one vampire and the Death Eaters still in pursuit.  
Harry and Ginny ran as fast as they could, turning corners at top speed. After a minute or so of flat out sprinting, Harry noticed they had come upon the back of the Three Broomsticks where they had left only minutes earlier. He could see large barrels and boxes of food and drink piled up by the door and a large window. He was about to suggest they stop and try to get inside when a curse from a pursuing Death Eater shattered a towering barrel of butterbeer next to him, the attackers were a ways away, but still coming fast.  
Harry stumbled, floundering in the boards and butterbeer that suddenly swamped the alleyway. With a frightening burst of speed the pursuing vampire vaulted forward and tackled him from behind. Harry landed hard, his wand flying from his hand as the vampire climbed on his back. He struggled wildly to throw off his stronger opponent, hampered by the mud and barrel fragments. He yelled in pain as the vampire sank its fangs into his neck. 'This is the end!' his mind screamed at him.  
Quite suddenly the pain and weight disappeared, choking Harry rolled over to see Ginny staring down at him fearfully. She held a sharp barrel piece in her hand. Harry felt gingerly at his neck, the bite was painful, but not serious, the vampire hadn't had time to start drawing blood. "Thanks!" he gasped to Ginny, pulling himself up. Ginny smiled at him shakily, dropping her improvised stake from a quavering hand.  
Turning, Harry just had enough time to shout, "Watch out!" and pull Ginny down as silver arrows from the Death Eater's wands passed through the space she had occupied. The four masked aggressors were dashing up as their spells tore a huge crater in the ground behind Harry and Ginny. Had he not grabbed her, she would have been killed.  
Grabbing his wand Harry shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" One Death Eater fell like a board on his face in the mud. But the next one raised his wand and sent a streak of purple flame at Ginny, the curse Hermione had been hit with last year.  
Something snapped in Harry, this was not going to happen, not to her, never to her. Without thinking or knowing what he was doing he threw his body into the path of the curse with his hand outstretched.  
At that moment he felt something strange. An odd warmth ran through his body and into his arm. As the curse struck his palm he felt a small tingling in his hand and saw a flash of golden-red light. The curse rebounded from him and struck the Death Eater in the chest, flinging him backwards like a limp doll.  
Harry didn't have time to wonder about this strange occurrence, a sudden wave of exhaustion swept through him and he slumped down by Ginny. His wand fell from nerveless fingers, he could only watch as the two remaining Death Eaters raised their wands to curse him and Ginny. He could only pull himself in their way, shielding her as best he could.  
But suddenly, as the masked wizards pointed their wands, a black shadow dropped down behind them from the roof of the Three Broomsticks. Harry heard the hiss of a blade and both Death Eaters crumpled. They fell without a sound, their blood mixing with the mud and butterbeer.  
Harry and Ginny stared up in shocked disbelief as their savior rose from his crouch. The Reaper straightened up and wiped blood from his scythe blade. "You!?" Harry cried out.  
The vampire grinned wolfishly, "Me." He spat on the bodies at his feet. "I really hate it when others try to poach on my territory, I'm sure you know what I mean Harry." He cast a sly glance at Ginny, and then looked at the slight bite mark on Harry's neck, "I see at least one of my little band of merry butchers decided to disobey, I do hope you tortured him a little before you killed him."  
Harry didn't know what to do, his mind was still trying to comprehend being saved from Death Eaters by the Reaper. 'One damned thing after another.' he thought grimly, feeling around for his dropped wand. Ginny kept a steady eye on the vampire, while slowly bringing up her own wand.  
Surprisingly the Reaper made no move to stop her, in fact he grinned ever wider, "Go on, fry me. I hear there's a very attractive slip of paper with signatures and seals on it going around just for that purpose. Do you want to be the Minister's little helper?" His eyes turned hard, but his voice stayed amused, "Actually, I'd keep those hands down my bold little students. If you want them to stay functioning that is." He flipped his scythe for emphasis.  
"What do you want?!" snarled Harry, standing up and pulling Ginny behind him. It proved to be futile as she stepped right back to his side, her brown eyes full of fire as she stared at the master vampire.  
The Reaper ran his thumb along the edge of his scythe, "Oh, I just wanted to check up on you, kill some folks, fulfill that grumpy Dark Lord's little ambitions. But I'm also here to..."  
"Hang in there Harry!" squeaked an interrupting voice.  
Harry darted a glance over his shoulder and saw Dedalus Diggle, looking dreadfully out of place with his purple top hat and excitable face, dashing down the street toward them.  
"Leave him to me!" he shouted, drawing his wand and pointing it at the Reaper, "I'll get..."  
But he had stepped too close, misjudging the distance. The Reaper shot out an arm and seized Diggle by the neck in a crushing grip. Ginny shrieked, "Stupefy!" but the vampire blocked the stunner without a glance. Harry fumbled with his numb hands to grab his wand.  
The Reaper glared slowly at Diggle, but his voice seemed more like one annoyed by a child than attacked by an adversary. "I was talking." he said quietly. With a terrible movement he twisted sharply, Harry heard a crack and Diggle went limp, his wand falling slowly from his hand.  
Disdainfully the Reaper flung the body through the large back window of the Three Broomsticks with a crash. Harry and Ginny stood rooted to the spot in mute horror; Harry found his arm around Ginny protectively.  
The master vampire turned back to them, "Now where were we..." Multiple cracks from all directions heralded the arrival of reinforcements. Harry could see Aurors, Kingsley and Tonks among them, down the street apparating in at a fast rate.  
The Reaper glanced over his shoulder unhurriedly and clicked his fangs in annoyance. "Damn, the grave diggers are here, I'm afraid all they're in time for is the burying." He turned back to look at them regretfully, "Another time, little students, when you're all here." He vaulted lightly back onto the roof. He turned back for just a moment and his fangs flashed, "Oh and Harry?" Harry looked up, "Don't let anyone kill you...Before I do." With a swish of black cloth the Reaper disappeared.  
Clutching Ginny tightly to him, Harry's eyes wandered in a daze. What he came to rest on brought him back to earth in a hurry. Dean Thomas was standing in the broken window of the Three Broomsticks, looking at him standing there with his arms around Ginny. Before Harry could think of anything to say, Dean stepped back from the window and vanished into the interior. Harry thanked the fates that Ginny had not seen him, as they clung to each other the rain began to fall, soaking the purple top hat lying in the mud. 


	73. Chapter 72: Chaos

I dedicate this chapter to a new and observant reviewer, Severeus' Wife. I hope this chaos is to your liking! P.S. thank you for the multiple tips, I had no idea I had Ron using the term so much until you pointed it out. I'll try to rectify that in following chapters.  
  
Many thanks to all my reviewers, new and old.  
  
Chapter 72: Chaos  
The attack on Hogsmeade brought the war home to Hogwarts with punishing force. Twenty-two Hogsmeade residents had been killed and a further sixteen injured in the worst attack to date. Six Hogwarts students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw had been injured in the attack, none of whom Harry knew.  
Blessedly, no students had been killed, that might have been the end of the school. As it was, owls flooded the school carrying anxious letters from concerned parents. Each one was answered by reassuring letters from McGonagall or Dumbledore and in the end only a few students were pulled out of the school, most parents decided having their children close to Albus Dumbledore was the safest they could be.  
Complete uproar reigned in the wizarding world. The fact that Voldemort had attacked the most well known wizarding community in England and had gotten away cleanly set off a much greater wave of panic and paranoia than the continuous small attacks launched all year. Accusations flew thick and fast in this turbulent new environment.  
"Well Fudge is trying to foist some of the blame off on Dumbledore." Hermione remarked the next day at breakfast, looking at the Daily Prophet critically, "He says Dumbledore was better placed to look after Hogsmeade and should have responded faster."  
"That git really tries hard doesn't he?" Harry muttered, spearing at his bacon viciously.  
"Especially considering the Order got there first." Ron said ironically. Ron had been in Honeydukes during the attack. Despite several Dementors breaking in and a few Death Eaters throwing some spells, the sweet shop had survived intact and the people inside unharmed. This was thanks largely to Ron's Patronus, which he hadn't stopped talking about; it was a big cat of some kind apparently.  
Other parts of the village had not fared so well. Zonko's had been almost completely demolished when a Death Eater snuck into the basement and ignited the entire stock of fireworks. Barrels and barrels of them had exploded all at once, killing five and making the building a complete loss. Several homes had been burned to the ground and the Dark Mark still hung defiantly over the battered town, thus far it had resisted all attempts to remove it.  
No Death Eaters had been captured in the attack, witnesses had reported that the attackers seemed to have a standing order to kill their own rather than risk their capture. As such, no information about the Dark Lord's forces had been learned. The Dark Army had struck viciously and then faded back into the obscurity like smoke on the wind, Voldemort's power manifested in a terrifyingly real way.  
"Fudge is in real trouble," Hermione said with some satisfaction as she folded up the paper, "if he doesn't grow a backbone and start fighting effectively he's going to find himself out of a job."  
"Unless Voldemort gets him first." Harry muttered darkly, he couldn't summon up much sympathy for the cowardly, blustering Minister of Magic.  
Hermione shook her head, "Voldemort would never touch Fudge."  
"What? Why wouldn't he? They're enemies." Ron said incredulously, "Sort of."  
"Because Fudge is weak," Hermione snapped back, their conversations seemed to get heated quicker these days, "because of that Voldemort will want him in charge for as long as he can stay there. Think about it, as long as Fudge is in charge the Ministry won't be able to react aggressively to Voldemort's attacks. Why would Voldemort want to mess that up?"  
"Good point," Harry admitted, he sighed, "given what you just said I would be surprised if it happened."  
"I've had enough of surprises for a lifetime." Ron growled, glaring at the image of the Dark Mark on the front page of the Daily Prophet. In retrospect, Harry found that statement ironic, the day was destined to hold many surprises, and one of them happened almost immediately.  
Malfoy had finished his meal and was heading out of the Great Hall, as usual pursued by Pansy Parkinson, when a man came into the hall from the direction of the front entrance. It was the Auror Dawlish. He made a beeline for Malfoy, stopping him just short of the exit. Harry, Ron and Hermione were seated close enough to overhear them.  
"Draco Malfoy?" Dawlish said in an officious voice.  
Malfoy barely spared him a glance, "Yes." The sour expression he'd worn since the loss of his mother did not flicker.  
"You are under arrest for the theft of the Sword of Godric Gryffindor on the day of November second, last year." Dawlish said, "You must come with me immediately."  
"Dawlish," Dumbledore was striding down from the professor's table, "what is the meaning of this?"  
Dawlish turned to Dumbledore but kept his hand on Malfoy's shoulder. Pansy started to say something, but Malfoy shook his head at her emphatically. She shut her mouth as Dawlish spoke, "Sorry sir, but we've got evidence. Sifting through the surveillance spells, we found that an incorporeal spell was performed on the sword at the time he was in the office. We traced the spell back to his wand. It's all on file back at the Auror offices if you'd like to see it."  
"I would." Dumbledore said, "I will just come along if you don't mind."  
Dawlish seemed about to protest, then thought better of it. He nodded and directed Malfoy out the door, Dumbledore followed. Ron and Hermione turned to stare at Harry. "Do you think he really did it?" Hermione asked in a stage whisper.  
  
The school was abuzz with news of Malfoy's arrest mere minutes after he had been led away. Everyone seemed to be discussing it. Harry didn't feel like talking about it, even though it seemed he had been right about suspecting Malfoy instead of Professor Tofty or Krum. Harry felt he had more important things to think about.  
The day passed slowly, Harry went to classes and (At Hermione's urging.) began studying for the fast approaching exams. The person he wanted to see the most was Ginny. They had been interrupted at a crucial moment and he had lost her in the chaos of the exodus from Hogsmeade, he had yet to see her since. He got the unnerving feeling she was avoiding him.  
Dean had not mentioned what he had seen in Hogsmeade, but neither had he spoken to Harry. He seemed taciturn enough and although Harry knew he should probably talk to Dean about it, he wasn't in a hurry to bring it up. After struggling with himself for a while, Harry had decided that the fact that Dean was technically Ginny's boyfriend didn't matter anymore. If Dean protested Harry's confession, Harry was willing to fight him for Ginny's affections in whatever manner Dean chose. Although his conscience pained him about what it might do to Dean, his heart wouldn't let him do anything else.  
He was tired of holding back because of his fears and uncertainties; it seemed that all he had done this year was worry. He had worried about Voldemort, about the prophecy, about the D.A., about the Reaper, and of course he had worried about Ginny. He'd had enough of fear, he'd cast it aside for her.  
Later that night, he and Ron were poring over some Transfiguration notes, trying to figure out where they had went wrong with some glamour spells before retiring for the night, when Dean came up to the library table they were occupying.  
He nodded to Ron in a friendly manner and then looked to Harry, "We need to talk," he glanced at Ron, "er...I've got some Quidditch questions."  
Harry nodded, and got up. Ron barely spared them a glance, as he was up to his elbows in parchment. Harry knew what this was really about; he felt a sinking feeling in his chest as he followed Dean out the door. They progressed through the school hallways in silence, Dean seemed deep in thought, and Harry wasn't in any hurry to disturb him. They came to the portrait of the Fat Lady, said the password, and climbed through.  
The common room was still full; Harry could see Hermione chatting with Katie in the corner while she lined up elf hats and socks in preparation for hiding them. The Creevey brothers and Seamus were engaged in a chess match that was a good deal rowdier than normal chess matches should be. Harry followed Dean up the stairs and finally into the sixth year boys dormitories.  
Harry was very surprised to see Ginny sitting on Dean's bed, she was just as surprised to see him apparently, as she jumped up immediately upon seeing him. "Harry?!" her gaze flicked to Dean, "What's going on?"  
Dean stopped in between them, "This concerns him too Ginny."  
Ginny looked nervously at Harry, "But..."  
"I saw you two in Hogsmeade yesterday," Dean interrupted, sounding as though he had rehearsed this speech, "right after that Diggle chap was killed."  
Ginny's eyes widened, she darted a look at Harry, "Look Dean it was..."  
Dean interrupted again, to Harry's surprise he didn't sound angry, "I know what it was, believe me."  
"It's not what you think." Ginny said quickly, shooting Harry another look, as if expecting to have to ward off a comment from him. For his part, Harry really didn't know what to say. He'd expected wrath and rage from Dean, not this slow tally of facts.  
Dean grinned ironically, "Yes. Yes it was." He held up a hand as Ginny began another passionate denial, "But don't worry, it's okay."  
"No it's not," Harry said, he had the feeling Ginny was about to say the same thing, "it was what you thought it was. And that's not okay, you two are..." He gestured vaguely at Ginny and Dean, hoping they would pick up on his meaning.  
Dean picked up on it, "Yeah, we are. But you're hung up on her." He nodded to Ginny, who was looking more and more horrified by the second. "So, we have a problem."  
"Yes we do." Harry agreed. Looking into Dean's honest face he tried to glean what was coming next.  
"Fortunately," Dean said firmly, "I have the solution." Harry tensed, here it came, the order to leave Ginny alone that he would have to ignore.  
Dean smiled tightly at the tense look on Harry's face and then turned to Ginny, "Gin, I'm breaking it off."  
"What!?" Harry and Ginny exclaimed together, Harry in delight, Ginny in horror.  
"Look," Dean said, "we had good times together, really good times!" He smiled fondly at Ginny, "But in the end I'm not the one Gin."  
"No Dean..." Ginny said desperately, "Don't do this...Don't..."  
"It's okay Gin," Dean replied, "I could see it happening; even before this I knew it. It's kind of sad to give you up, but I don't want to stand in the way of what should be." He turned to Harry, "Take good care of her yeah?" Harry nodded, reaching out he clasped Dean's hand firmly, hardly believing what had just happened.  
"No!" Ginny said emphatically, Harry was surprised to see her near tears, "You can't just do this!" When Dean just shrugged she rounded on Harry, "Can't you give it a rest!? Did you have to push until it came down to this!? Why do you do this to me!?"  
Harry looked baffled, reaching out a hand, "Ginny I love you and I..."  
"Stop!" Ginny shouted, "Stop right there, it's too much! I can't do this!" Abruptly she pushed past Dean and dashed down the stairs, headed for the girls dormitory.  
Silence reigned for a long moment before Dean shrugged again and clapped a despondent Harry on the shoulder, "Don't worry Harry, she'll come around, I guess I should have done that a little more tactfully. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a fight brewing over a chessboard downstairs, I'd hate to miss it. Good luck." He turned around, still smiling sadly, and headed down the stairs. He left behind a very shell-shocked Harry. Harry sank down on his bed, wondering how he was going to make sense of this day.  
The shocks weren't over just yet, after a few baffled minutes had passed, Harry heard swift footsteps on the stairs. Hermione dashed in, holding a spitting Crookshanks. "Harry! Good you're here, come quick!"  
Harry jumped up, his adrenaline rising again in preparation for a crisis, "What?! What is it?!"  
Hermione's face was white, "Downstairs, on the wizarding wireless! Oh Harry, Fudge is dead! Someone killed him; they're just announcing the specifics now! Hurry!"  
"Bloody hell!" Harry swore, and exited the dormitory at top speed with Hermione hurrying after him. 


	74. Chapter 73: Enough Surprises

First of all I have to clarify something, Dean does not see Ginny as property, I was afraid it would be taken that way, but I can't see Ginny tolerating that for even a second. He is simply assuming that, with him out of the picture, Ginny will automatically gravitate to Harry.  
  
Secondly to Pokey-Oats, I'm very flattered and would love to see any fanarts you may do of the Reaper, if you do one please send it to me  
  
Chapter 73: Enough Surprises  
Hurrying down the stairs and into the common room, Harry saw several students clustered around a small wireless. He stopped at the edge of the group, close enough to hear the voice of the announcer.  
"This is an emergency bulletin of Wizarding Wireless, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has been assassinated. The Minister was killed earlier this evening at his London residence, Aurors arrived two hours later when he did not answer a regular summons."  
"Took them a while to figure it out eh?" muttered Seamus; the chess players had abandoned the board, where the leaderless pieces now had it out in a wild free-for-all. Lavender shushed him, her face rapt.  
"The Minister was stabbed to death by an unknown sharp instrument. Investigating Aurors report that the perpetrator was apparently none other than the convicted felon Dolores Umbridge, formerly the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister."  
"What?!" Harry shouted, and heard his sentiments echoed by everyone. Umbridge killed Fudge? It didn't make any sense; Fudge was her pardoner, the only one standing between her and a life sentence in Azkaban. Harry couldn't grasp the idea that Umbridge would kill Fudge.  
Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice came over the wireless, "Umbridge was at the Minister's house at the time of the murder, he was using her as a personal aide after he reputed her Azkaban sentence. We found her at the scene of the crime; she was incoherent and bleeding from several wounds we suspect were self-inflicted. She appears to have attacked the Minister in an insane frenzy. The Minister was killed before he could reach his wand. His Junior Assistant, survivor of an earlier attack by You-Know-Who's minions, was also present at the scene and managed to subdue Umbridge before succumbing to the wounds she gave him, he is now in St. Mungo's."  
Harry heard Hermione gasp, and automatically looked around for some sign of Ron and Ginny, but neither was present. Ron was probably on his way back from the library before curfew took effect and Harry had a pretty good idea of where Ginny was. Hermione's face was white, "Oh no, not him, not again." She said to Harry, tears forming in her eyes.  
The wireless announcer came on again, "In a bizarre note, the words , 'Target Number Three.' were scrawled on the wall in the Minister's blood, Aurors have not offered any opinion about what the message means. Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones has stepped in as acting Minister of Magic until elections may be held. More information on these events will be forthcoming later."  
Harry's heart, which had been pretty low to begin with, sank right down into his toes.  
  
Ron and Ginny were gone for a while the next day, they were allowed to visit St. Mungo's with the rest of their family who weren't in Bulgaria. Harry had desperately wanted to go with them, to offer some kind of comfort to the family he loved so much. But Dumbledore had forbidden him to go; the Order was far too busy cleaning up in the aftermath of the Hogsmeade attack and the Minister's assassination to safeguard him.  
Harry was angry about not being able to go, but understood Dumbledore's concerns, with the Ministry still in a state of barely controlled chaos Voldemort could move with relative impunity. Surprisingly, Hermione went with Ron without asking permission, perhaps she too was afraid she would be denied. Harry saw them off, but did not see Ginny.  
Hagrid canceled class that day without any explanation to the students. Harry was suspicious and made his way down to the cabin after everyone else had left. He found Hagrid behind the gryphon's paddock, covering up a lumpy shape with a large blanket.  
"What's that Hagrid?" Harry asked as he approached.  
Hagrid jumped nervously, "What?! Oh Harry, didn' see yeh there." His face turned grim as he saw what Harry was looking at. "Yeh don't want ter be lookin' at this Harry. It's pretty messy."  
Harry saw a horse leg, smeared with blood, protruding from the blanket's edge. He swallowed, "Um Hagrid, it that..."  
"A centaur yeah," Hagrid replied heavily, "firs' one o' the bounders I've seen. Found 'im over yonder," he waved a hand vaguely at the forest's edge, "he was dead before I got to 'im  
"What happened to him?" Harry asked, edging forward.  
"Not sure," Hagrid wrapped the body up and slung it over his shoulder, "somethin' savaged 'im pretty good, could've been any number o' things."  
"What about Grawp?" Harry asked, and instantly regretted it.  
"Don' be sayin' things like that!" Hagrid rounded on him, "Grawpy wouldn' do nuthin like that! Besides, he's not fast enough to catch em." He didn't quite meet Harry's eyes though as he turned away and headed towards the grave he had dug behind the cabin. Harry watched thoughtfully for a while, then turned and headed back up to the castle.  
  
"Percy's in a coma," Hermione told him quietly, when they got back later that day, just after classes, Ron had simply said he didn't want to talk about it, "and he's still in critical condition, they don't know if he'll make it."  
Harry shook his head, "How's Mrs. Weasley?"  
Hermione's lower lip trembled, "Oh Harry, it's so hard on her; she's so close to a nervous breakdown. Fred and George have moved back into the Burrow from the flat they got in Diagon Alley to take care of her when Mr. Weasley is at work."  
Harry clenched his fists, "This has to stop, there has to be a way."  
Hermione patted his shoulder, "Don't be too hard on yourself Harry, we'll find a way. Percy will be all right, you'll see." But she didn't sound convinced, and neither was Harry. He wondered what the loss of Percy would do to the Weasley family, especially when he had just been reconciled with the family after another near death experience. With Bill and Charlie still very much in harm's way the stress must be unbearable. Harry hoped Mrs. Weasley was okay, and would not have reason to see in real life what her boggart merely imitated.  
Hermione was looking at him funny, "What?" Harry asked.  
"I talked to Ginny a bit today." She said meaningfully.  
Harry's heart sank but he pushed on, "So?"  
"I don't think you realize what you're doing Harry." Hermione replied, in her best lecture voice, the one that never failed to get on Harry's nerves.  
"What am I doing and why is it any of your business?" Harry asked haughtily.  
"It's my business because you're both my friends and you are hurting her Harry!" Hermione answered.  
"What?! That is not what I did!" Harry said, incredulously, "She was the one who took it badly; all I did was tell her the truth."  
"The truth sometimes hurts Harry," Hermione said severely, "this has to do with the past, not the present."  
"Do you mean the times when she fancied me?" Harry asked, "Because I don't see how that..."  
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe it was more than just a fancy Harry?" Hermione asked sharply. "That maybe having you turn around and say things like that to her after ignoring her all these years could be a hurtful thing?"  
"It doesn't have to be like that," Harry shot back, "I don't see what the problem is with the present. Now if you'll excuse me." He got up and left her shaking her head and went to find Ron, there was still studying to be done.  
  
"Good grief, you'd think we have N.E.W.T.s this year!" Ron grumbled angrily, flipping through his Potion's book and glaring at his parchment.  
"Tell me about it, I still don't know what half of this means." Harry rifled through a sheaf of notes that, despite his best efforts, still insisted on flapping in the wind.  
They were seated outside under the oak tree, puzzling out Snape's notes for their exam. The conditions were hardly ideal; the wind was such a problem Harry had to put an imperturbable charm on his notes to prevent them from being tossed all over the place. He would have preferred to be working in the library, but the moment they had passed Madame Pince Ron had spotted Hermione and Krum poring over books at one of the tables, apparently working together on something.  
Ron had immediately spun on his heel and stormed down to the oak tree. Harry had had no choice but to follow him, Krum still made him uncomfortable and he didn't want to talk to Hermione just then. Now they sat in awkward conversation, Ron refusing to discuss what they had seen, just as he refused to discuss anything having to do with Krum and Hermione. He wouldn't discuss Percy's condition either, seemingly trying to shut it out of his mind.  
Harry was getting more and more frustrated with his best mate's attitude, and the fact that Ginny was now completely avoiding him did nothing to alleviate his annoyance. Colin had told him she was studying really hard, trying to concentrate on her O.W.L.s, but Harry knew the real reason he hadn't seen her and it kept him constantly on edge.  
After a few more minutes of tense silence he finally snapped, "For crying out loud!" he exploded, unable to hold it in any longer. "Could you please just talk to her about it!? The tension is driving me barmy."  
Ron's glare melted into bafflement, "What?"  
"You and Hermione! Just talk about whatever it is that's between you two, Krum or whatever! I don't care what it is, could you two please just talk?!"  
"But," sputtered Ron, "we do talk, we're talking just fine."  
"Oh come off it, I can feel the tension there! We've all been best mates so long I can sense it. I know something's bothering you two and I'd like it fixed!" Harry replied severely.  
Ron was still bewildered but his voice grew more forceful, "I don't know what you're talking about, it's nothing." He turned back to his Potions book muttering, "Besides, you're not one to preach."  
"What?!" Harry spun around, "What's that supposed to mean?!"  
Ron looked gleeful at having turned the tables on Harry, "I'm talking about you and my sister!"  
Harry was flabbergasted; he'd thought he'd done a good job of keeping his troubles and tribulations with Ginny hidden from Ron. But then again, he had been counting on Ron being the imperceptive bloke he always was.  
Ron was still looking at him ironically, "Yeah, I know about it, and like I said, you can't preach to me."  
Harry subsided, flopping down beside his friend; they sat in silence for a while. Harry sighed deeply, "Women really are a pain aren't they?"  
Ron nodded vigorously, "You can say that again." The two boys sat in silence, pondering life's biggest mystery. After a while, Harry thought he heard voices very faintly on the wind, he thought he recognized Hermione's. He looked up, Ron had stood ramrod straight, looking toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest near Hagrid's cabin with the intensity of a hunting hawk.  
Hermione and Krum were making their way into the trees at a fair pace, even as Harry watched they began disappearing under the eaves. "What on earth is she doing?" he asked incredulously, but found he was talking to thin air; Ron was up and after them without a backward glance. "Hey!" Harry shouted, abandoning his notes to his imperturbable charm he hurried after Ron. "What are you doing?!"  
"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Ron roared over his shoulder without slackening his pace, "I'll be hanged if I'm going to let him take her in there! Doesn't he know about Grawp?!"  
Harry was pretty sure that was not Ron's real reason for haring after them like this. However as they neared the edge of the forest another voice interjected before he could say so.  
"Ron?! Harry?! What are you doing?!"  
Harry turned his head to see Ginny hurrying up to them from the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Despite Ron's blistering pace she drew alongside Harry and kept up. Apparently the astonishment of seeing them dashing wildly into the forest was enough for her to break her avoidance of him.  
"Hermione's in there!" Ron shouted, now hurtling around outlying trees as they passed the forest's edge.  
"What?!" asked Ginny incredulously, glancing at Harry in confusion. Harry could only shrug and try to keep pace with Ron's longer strides.  
After a minute or so however, Ron skidded to a halt so quickly Harry nearly cannoned into him from behind. Harry managed a clean stop, but had to reach out and steady Ginny. She pulled away from him, looking at Ron.  
"What's going on? Why did Hermione come in here?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously.  
"We don't know..." Ron began, but Harry interrupted him.  
"She came with Krum." He said as Ron shot him an alarmed glance.  
"I knew it!" Ginny hissed, Ron looked nervous and Harry suddenly felt apprehensive about her anger. "Why don't you just leave it alone?! At least talk to her yourself before you drag Harry and me into it!"  
"No one made you follow me!" Ron shot back, "I don't need..."  
"Shhh!" Harry held up a hand. As they fell silent he could now hear voices, one was definitely Hermione's. "Maybe we should go..." he began, but Ron was already creeping in the direction of the conversation. Harry sighed and followed, Ginny behind him.  
When Harry caught up to Ron, he was listening to them from behind a tree. Hermione and Krum were standing in a clearing. "How much longer are we going to wait for Hagrid Viktor?" Hermione was asking. Harry could see she was nervous.  
However, she was nothing compared to Krum, "A little vhile." He replied, wringing his hands.  
Hermione was not comforted, "I don't like this," she said, "it's not safe here." She nervously reached for her wand.  
Krum turned and grabbed her hand, "Don't." he said shakily.  
"OY!" Ron shouted before Harry could stop him, "You leave her alone!"  
Both Hermione and Krum whirled at the sound of his voice, but their reactions were different. Hermione looked surprised, Krum just looked sad, as if their appearance made him miserable.  
"Ron?!" Hermione was staring at them, "Harry?! Ginny?! What are you doing here?"  
"What are we doing here?!" Ron thundered, striding forward, "You led us here, you do the explaining!"  
Hermione's face shifted from surprise to anger in an eye blink, "Following me around now are you?! I told you stop trying to protect me! I don't need your coddling!"  
"Is that what I get for being worried about you?!" bellowed Ron, his ears turning red.  
"Shut up both of you!" shouted Ginny, but she didn't sound angry to Harry, if anything she sounded fearful.  
"Don't you tell me to shut up!" both Ron and Hermione yelled at the same time and then looked at each other in surprise.  
"No!" Ginny cried frantically, "Listen!"  
Now that the shouting match had stopped Harry did listen, and what he heard made his blood run cold. A voice was singing somewhere nearby in a calm, easy tone. A voice Harry recognized.  
"If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise..."  
"Oh no..." gasped Hermione, Ron looked up sharply too and hurried to stand by her protectively. Harry and Ginny backed up towards them, their eyes searching the trees.  
"If you go down in the woods today you'd better go in disguise..." It was closer, much closer.  
"It can't be..." Harry breathed, his hand flying to his wand.  
But it was, from the shadows among the trees the Reaper strode into the clearing, spinning his scythe lazily. "Surprise." He said, a grin spreading across his face. 


	75. Chapter 74: Traitor to the Cause

I was wondering if anyone had picked up on the significance of the words "Target Number Three" from Fudge's assassination. I explained it in this chapter, but I wonder if anyone got the reference. It goes back to his last meeting with Voldemort.  
  
Chapter 74: Traitor to the Cause  
Harry drew his wand and pointed it at the master vampire as he emerged. He vaguely saw the others do the same out of the corner of his eye. However, something didn't seem quite right to him. He figured it out a moment too late. Only four wands were pointed at the Reaper.  
"Expelliarmus!" croaked a voice behind him, he, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were all disarmed, their wands flying into the air and leaving them defenseless.  
Harry whirled around as Krum caught their wands in his hand and handed them to one of the eight lesser vampires who had followed the Reaper into the clearing. Krum then covered them with his own wand. "You!?" Harry shouted. He couldn't believe it. Malfoy had been the one to steal the sword, not Krum, why on earth was he betraying them now? After he had learned about Krum's family, he hadn't expected the Assistant Professor to turn traitor, not like this.  
Ron's face turned red and he actually started toward Krum before Hermione pulled him back. "Why Viktor?!" she asked, seemingly shocked to the very core of her being, "Why?"  
Krum looked wretched, his wand wavering in his hand, "I haff no choice," he said desperately, "he has my family, I haff no choice." His response turned Harry's assumptions about Krum upside down.  
Ron was shaking with anger and nearly incoherent, "Why you..." he ground his teeth in frustration. Ginny said nothing, just stared with wide eyes.  
The vampires circled and closed in on Harry and his friends, cutting off any chance of escape. Once this was accomplished, Krum's shoulder's sagged and he hung his head, his arm dropped listlessly to his side.  
The Reaper strode up to Krum, or at least he seemed to. As Harry watched he noticed the vampire's feet didn't touch the ground. He walked normally, but the soles of his boots landed on thin air about two inches from the forest floor. Harry glanced around, noting that the same applied to all the vampires. He remembered what Hermione had said about the wards on the grounds, so that was how the Reaper had defeated that particular obstacle.  
However, from his experience with levitation spells in Charms class, Harry knew that a spell of this magnitude would have to be temporary. The levitation would take a large amount of energy to maintain. Furthermore, the wards around the castle set by Dumbledore would take note of such a large use of magic and alert him. He gritted his teeth, if they could stall the Reaper for just a little while then there was a chance help could arrive.  
Krum turned despondently to the Reaper as he approached, "I haff done all you asked," he said miserably, "now you must release my family."  
"Ah yes, as to that," the Reaper continued advancing at a sedate pace, "I'm afraid that's impossible."  
"Vhat!?" Krum's fingers tightened around his wand as he tensed.  
"Yes you see," the Reaper paused, a cruel grin pulling at his lips, "I already killed them a while ago. Those pictures we showed you were months old, they just got too bothersome to maintain." He chuckled, "You know how much I hate babysitting, so I'm afraid they're never coming back."  
Ron jerked, Ginny and Hermione gasped, and Harry gritted his teeth at the vampire's merry tone as he talked about the bloody subject as though it were nothing. Krum's face contorted and he shook with rage. "You..." he snarled, unable to form words, "You..." With a wild scream of rage he brought up his wand and pointed it at the Reaper's face. But he did it too late; the master vampire was much too fast for him.  
Smoothly, as though he was dancing at a royal court, the Reaper whipped his scythe around, sending the curved blade flashing into Krum's elbow. Executing a quick spin the vampire flipped the weapon around and bashed the handle across Krum's stricken face in the same movement. Krum fell silently backwards into the grass, unconscious and missing half his right arm.  
"Viktor!" Hermione screamed, Ron and Harry stood rooted to the spot in horror, Ginny stared with both hands clasped tightly over her mouth.  
The Reaper licked the blood from his fingers as he wiped his scythe blade clean. "Back." He ordered sternly, as one or two of his minions started edging toward Krum's unconscious form, aroused by the sight of the blood pumping from his arm stump. "Leave him be, maybe he'll be strong enough to survive. I'd like to see if he's that tough." The lesser vampires growled in frustration, but complied.  
The Reaper then turned to Harry and his friends, grinning nonchalantly as though it really wasn't a big deal that he'd just mutilated Krum. "No, I'm not going to kill him." He said, patronizingly to a tearful Hermione, "That would be a waste of the guilt he'll be feeling if he lives to wake up. Guilt makes people so interesting, why torture them when they can do a much better job themselves?" He laughed, smiling rakishly, "Haven't you figured out by now that I'm about more than just killing?"  
"Shut up!" Ron shouted at the vampire, pulling Hermione away and behind him. The Reaper just laughed again.  
Harry's mind was racing furiously, 'Stall Him!' Somehow he had to stall him long enough for Dumbledore's security spells to give warning. He thought as hard as he could, trying to come up with something as the vampires closed in around them.  
The Reaper whirled his scythe in a fancy spin, "Well now, we've got a busy time ahead of us with our new guests, so let's get this party rolling! Boys!" The vampires moved in to take them. Desperately Harry jumped forward, he knew it was hopeless, but didn't really care. He flung himself to the left, aiming at the vampire angling for Ginny.  
Kicking out he managed to connect with its knee, but the vampire didn't even wince. It just turned calmly and lashed out with a fist. Harry jumped backward, but only succeeded in cushioning the blow to his chest. As such, it knocked the wind out of him and sent him tumbling backwards into another vampire. This one seized his arms in an iron-like grip and hoisted him up, nearly lifting him off the ground.  
Ron landed a solid punch on his attacker's jaw and got his legs swept out from under him for his trouble. The bruised vampire snarled angrily and hauled him up by the scruff of his neck, nearly throttling him in the process. Hermione's vampire simply locked her arms behind her back and held on tightly, forcing her to her knees. Ginny hit the vampire Harry had distracted a beauty of a kick in a sensitive area. But before she could dash off, the vampire reached out a long arm and caught both of her wrists. Then it did hoist her off the ground, holding her at arms length to avoid getting kicked again.  
The Reaper stopped in front of Harry and shook his head, "That was easy, so easy in fact that I'm inclined to think it's a trap. But I know it's not, because even after your little fiasco last year Harry, none of you ever think to go for help. Tsk, tsk, still with the 'saving people thing'? When will you learn?"  
Harry shook with anger, but it was swallowed up in guilt as the Reaper mocked him unmercifully. He was once again in the hands of the enemy, having put his friends there as well. He'd gotten used to blaming himself for it.  
"Well time to go!" The Reaper motioned and the vampires began pulling Harry and his friends away in preparation to leave.  
"Not so fast vampire!" a voice came from behind Harry. The lesser vampires whirled around snarling. The Reaper turned languidly and Harry saw five masked and cloaked Death Eaters move into the clearing in a line. The foremost one reached up and pushed back his mask.  
"We'll take them from here." Lucius Malfoy smirked at the Reaper.  
The Reaper folded his arms, "Oho, well Malfoy, Avery, Nott, Dolohov, and Lestrange. He grinned as each pair of eyes widened or narrowed as he named them. Each of the Death Eaters reached up and removed his or her hood, revealing that the Reaper had named them correctly. "I don't like party crashers," the master vampire continued, "I was under the impression it was up to me to get them."  
"Perhaps," Malfoy said in an oily voice, "but seeing as you disobeyed the Dark Lord and went after the older Weasley children and the Minister when you were specifically told to leave them alone, I don't think your impressions of your rights are accurate. Give us them," he indicated Harry and his friends, "and the Dark Lord may forgive your disobedience."  
"Oh come on," the Reaper grinned disarmingly, though Harry could see his hand tighten on his scythe handle, "the war's going to be so much more interesting with that lout Fudge gone. And all I wanted was to finish what I started with one Weasley. I don't think you can blame me for that."  
"You thought wrong!" Bellatrix Lestrange leapt forward with her wand raised. "You will surrender them now, beast! The Dark Lord, your master, has commanded it and you will obey!"  
The Reaper did not move, except to cock an eyebrow. "You really are the arrogant, vicious, hussy they say you are." He shrugged as though this were a great revelation, sarcasm evident in his voice. "Who knew eh?" He dug one of his four unoccupied minions in the ribs and all the vampires chuckled in amusement.  
Bellatrix shrieked in rage and raised her wand, but Malfoy and Dolohov jumped forward, eclipsing her and facing the Reaper. Malfoy remained fixed on the master vampire ahead of him, but Dolohov leered unpleasantly at Hermione. "Hey girlie, remember me? We're going to have a fun time." Harry could see fear in Hermione's eyes; Ron struggled wildly against his vampire in an effort to reach her.  
"Come on Reaper," Avery spoke up in a placating tone, "hand them over and we'll all go back to doing something a little more fun."  
The Reaper was silent for a moment, then an unpleasant grin spread across his face, "You know what, I think I've had my fun taken away from my by idiots in masks for the last time." He had spoken quietly, matter-of- factly, but Harry could feel the vampires around him tense at the words.  
The Reaper unfolded his arms and took a firm grip on his scythe. "Here's a once-in-a-lifetime offer, turn around, crawl on your hands and knees back to your boss like the servile drones you are, and I won't kill you."  
The Death Eaters immediately drew their wands as the vampires brayed and snarled in appreciation, flexing their fingers and baring their fangs. Bellatrix leapt to the front again. "You ungrateful animal!" she screamed, "The Dark Lord gave you a purpose! He made you worthwhile! Kneel or I will slaughter you like the insignificant beast you are!"  
The Reaper did not seem in the least bit perturbed by her wand pointed at his face, "I was doing this long before any of you, don't spout that garbage about a higher purpose to me. That temper's going to get you in trouble some day, maybe it already has." He beckoned with the blade of his scythe. "Any time you want a beating, come on."  
"Struggle!" Harry shouted to his friends, putting word to action he tried desperately to loosen the vampire's hold on him. The last thing he wanted was for he and his friends to be trapped like this, the prize in a battle between Death Eaters and the Reaper. Neither victor would be a pleasant prospect.  
His attempts were futile, the vampire was too strong. Looking around he could see Hermione watching the face off fearfully. Ron was still struggling to escape his increasingly irritated vampire and Ginny was grimly, but bravely watching.  
He was distracted as Bellatrix broke the silence with a wild shriek of, "Avada Kedavara!" The Reaper was enveloped in a blast of green light. Without a sound the vampire fell flat on his back. His body, like his feet, floated an inch above the ground as his scythe fell limply across his chest.  
Bellatrix laughed scornfully and looked up at the other vampires. "Give them up or you get the same!" she shouted to them. But the vampires just stood there, the four unoccupied ones placed in front of their fellows as though they were waiting for something. Glaring, Bellatrix stepped over the Reaper's macabre, grinning face and advanced on them. Harry suddenly realized something strange, when she had attacked the Reaper, the vampire hadn't been smiling.  
With a sudden surge the Reaper leapt up, seizing both Malfoy and Dolohov by their throats he flung them backwards into Avery and Nott. Aiming his scythe he sent a silver arrow of light thudding into the ground under them, leaving them with their senses scrambled, struggling to stand up next to a smoking crater.  
Laughing like a maniac the Reaper turned to a thunderstruck Bellatrix, "Sorry Lestrange, that spell only works if you're alive!"  
With a scream of rage Bellatrix brought her wand around to attack him again. But the four vampires not holding Harry and his friends jumped her from behind, distracting her attention. She began wildly blasting them off of her with red flashes, but they came on, trying to pull her down. This left the Reaper unmolested to attack her compatriots.  
Nott stumbled up first, bringing his wand to bear on the charging vampire. But before he could utter a spell, the Reaper hit him directly in the chest with another silver arrow that sent him crashing into a tree. Smashed and broken limbs and branches followed Nott as he tumbled to earth and lay still. One of the lesser vampires left Bellatrix and sank his fangs into Nott's neck, the Death Eater did not resist.  
Dolohov slashed his wand downward with a shout, sending a streak of purple flame at the Reaper, the same curse he had used on Hermione last year. The Reaper braced his scythe in front of him and shouted, "Protego!" The curse dissipated with no noticeable effects. The Reaper slashed his scythe at Dolohov but the Death Eater ducked underneath the blow. Disregarding his wand, Dolohov charged forward, driving a shoulder into the Reaper's gut and pinning him against a tree trunk.  
Malfoy leapt up, retrieved his wand and shouted, "Virtuas Scorchas!" The white needlelike shot left a long black burn on the Reaper's neck, but did not further damage through the vampire's shield spell. Too strong to be held physically, the Reaper then smashed his scythe handle down on the back of Dolohov's neck and flung the Death Eater aside as he charged Malfoy.  
Spinning completely around in a graceful jump, the Reaper dealt out a swift roundhouse kick to the side of Malfoy's head. Twisting as he came down, he slashed at Malfoy's falling body, inflicting a gash across his chest and effectively taking him out of the figt.  
Avery stumbled up last and fired a wild blast from his wand, "Disintegro!" Momentarily off balance the Reaper managed to dodge the spell by an inch. It hit a tree behind him and slowly reduced it to sawdust.  
Rolling forward the Reaper held up his scythe, "Reducto!" Avery cried out and collapsed, clutching his leg. The Reaper hurled himself forward, his eyes shining with excitement. Avery's yell was cut off as the scythe slashed through his face. Harry looked away as best he could as blood spattered the grass. He heard the Reaper give a sharp whistle, and three vampires appeared from different directions. The Reaper was calling in his sentries to help.  
Dolohov looked up to see the Reaper and three more vampires bearing down on him. He flung himself to the side, pointing his wand at a broken branch, "Portus!" Seizing Malfoy's limp form by the back of his robes Dolohov hurriedly dragged him to the Portkey.  
Bellatrix Lestrange had been battling the four vampires while the other fight went on behind her. She had managed to kill two and keep the others back, but no matter how she hurt them they rose from where her spells threw them and resumed their attack. At Dolohov's shout she tore herself away from them, though one managed to get a piece of her neck with his fangs as she did. She ran to the Portkey and flung herself on it just as Dolohov put his hand to it. The Death Eaters disappeared, leaving two of their own dead on the ground.  
The Reaper stopped, glaring in annoyance at the spot they had just occupied, "Humph, shame we couldn't get all of them." He cracked one of the latecomers over the head with his fist, "Be quicker next time and you'll have more to eat!" He shrugged, "Oh well, back to business."  
He walked back to where Harry and his friends were still held; Harry felt a chill of foreboding. The Reaper had just defied Voldemort to the faces of his Death Eaters and had gotten away with it. The master vampire flicked his hand unconcernedly at the bodies of Avery and Nott and the few vampires who were unoccupied and unhurt descended upon them with gleeful howls.  
Harry and his friends averted their eyes in disgust. The Reaper grinned and seemed about to make a comment when something distracted him. His head perked up as though he had just heard something far off. He stared keenly into the distance for a moment, then rounded on his minions. "That's enough you lot! They're coming! We have to go!  
Harry looked up sharply, Dumbledore! He had been alerted to the battle, maybe he was close! "Over here!" Ginny suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs. "We're over..." The vampire who held her struck her from behind and she slumped unconscious.  
"Why you..." Harry didn't get to finish, his vampire brought a fist down on his head and sent him crashing downward into blackness. 


	76. Chapter 75: The Lesson of Honesty

Thank you to all of you who reviewed, the chapters should be coming much faster now, I already wrote most of the ending a while ago. Here's the next installment, where we get a taste of what the Reaper likes to do for fun, it will be better explained in the next chapter if there are problems.

Chapter 75: The Lesson of Honesty  
Harry awoke in a cell; at least he assumed it was a cell. He was lying in an area of light on a cold stone floor, bereft of his wand. Vertical metal bars surrounded him in a square, extending up past where he could see. The bars disappeared into the light; it hurt Harry's eyes to look beyond it.  
Hermione's unconscious form lay crumpled next to him. Harry raised himself on his elbows; on the other side of Hermione he could see another cell identical to theirs, in it lay Ron. Beyond the two pools of light inside their cells Harry could see nothing; it was as if they were suspended in a sea of deepest blackness.  
Slowly, Harry pulled himself to his knees, waves of pain radiated from the back of his skull where the vampire had punched him. He crawled over to his cellmate, "Hermione...Hermione..." He shook her gently, eliciting a low moan of protest. Eventually she stirred and sat up painfully.  
"Harry..." she said, standing up shakily and looking around. "Where are we?"  
"I don't know," Harry replied, standing as well. "I just woke up myself so your guess is as good as mine."  
Behind them Ron stirred and groaned, rolling over and opening his eyes groggily. "Ron! Hermione cried, turning to look at him. Ron did not seem to hear her. Hermione frowned, "Ron?" Ron stood up and glared about his prison, he gave no sign that he could see or even hear them.  
"Ron!" Harry shouted loudly, still Ron did not look at him. "What's the matter with you?!" Soft laughter came from somewhere behind him.  
Harry and Hermione whirled around but Harry could see nothing in the suffocating blackness, the laughter seemed to float out of thin air. Hermione's eyes darted back and forth fearfully, searching for the source.  
Suddenly, a tiny flame appeared in the darkness, illuminating the face of the Reaper as he lit a cigarette. With a metallic click the flame disappeared, plunging the vampire back into obscurity. The Reaper reappeared moments later, leaning against the bars as he calmly took a breath and let out a puff of grey smoke. Harry backed up quickly, Hermione had already done so. "What do you want?!" Harry growled angrily.  
"Harry..." Hermione cautioned. Laying a hand on his shoulder she watched the Reaper apprehensively.  
For his part, the Reaper smiled in an amused fashion as he held up the silver lighter in his hand. "Ingenious little device." He said conversationally, as though he was speaking with old friends. "It's amazing really, what some of these muggles come up with." He smiled at Harry, his grey eyes shifting, "You see I'm not like old Voldemort, I think muggles are quite nice as an addition to this world. Quite thrifty and intelligent really, you can't find a wizard or witch who actually thinks these days. All they know is 'spells will solve all your problems.'" He shook his head, "Such narrow-minded thinking. He grinned again, flashing his fangs. "Actually, that's why we're here, all of you and I."  
"What?!" Harry backed away further, Hermione gripped his hand. "What are you talking about?!"  
The Reaper smiled even wider, blowing a thin curl of smoke Harry's way. "I'm here to teach all of you to not be so narrow-minded." Suddenly he seemed to turn serious, glaring at them. "You have no idea how stupidly frustrating it is to watch all you poor idiots and your pathetic lives. You stumble and flail your way along, with your pitiful wants and desires. But for some reason you're all unable to act on them, to seize what is right in front of you!" His eyes glinted with yellow, "Well, at least I can show you couple of poor idiots what you've missed...Right before I kill you."  
Harry gritted his teeth at the vampire's tone, behind him Hermione gasped. "The Reaper grinned again, his mood changing from serious to light. "But that's a long way off, we've still got our whole session ahead of us." He looked over Harry's shoulder, "Oh, and don't bother signaling to him Hermione, he can't see or hear you. As far as Ron's concerned he's completely alone." Harry heard a sharp intake of breath from Hermione, but she held the Reaper's gaze without flinching. "What do you really want with us?"  
"As I said, I'm here to teach," replied the Reaper. He looked to Ron, "Time for the first lesson to begin I think."  
"Huh?!" Harry looked up sharply, "you're messing with him?!" He narrowed his eyes angrily, "Where's Ginny?"  
"Oh she's here Harry, don't worry." The Reaper chuckled, "And yes, I'm starting with him. Don't be in such a hurry Harry, your turn will come. Just don't make the mistake of thinking you're the one I'm most interested in." He shook his head patronizingly, "All that attention you've gotten from Voldemort and his brood must have gone to your head. Not all evil is focused around you; I'm more about broadening that focus. And you know what? Your friends are very interesting."  
"Leave him alone!" Roared Harry.  
"Ron!" Hermione shouted at the top of her lungs, "RON!"  
The Reaper laughed, flicked his cigarette at Harry, and faded back into the darkness. "Just make sure you pay attention like good little students." His voice floated back to them, "Especially you Hermione."  
"You bastard!" yelled Harry, he ran to the other side of the cell and thrust his arm through, desperate to get Ron to notice him. But again, Ron gave no sign that he had seen anything. Harry pounded on the bars in helpless frustration, bruising his fists. Hermione had followed him and now stood next to him, her eyes fixed on Ron.  
Ron was testing some of the bars in his cell when the Reaper appeared right in front of him, seeming to melt out of the blackness. Ron jumped back, "You?!" He glared without a trace of fear. "Where's Ginny?! Where are my friends?!"  
"Nice to see you've woken up Mr. Weasley," the Reaper paused, "can I call you Ron?" He grinned; Harry knew he was delighting in avoiding the question.  
"Where are my friends?! Where's Ginny!?" Ron demanded again, flushing with anger.  
"I'll just take that as a yes then." said the Reaper, "As to your insistent questioning, your friends are here, don't worry. But I thought I'd just take some time to have a real quality chat with you, away from them and your sister."  
"Oh yeah," Ron replied with biting hostility, "a chat about what?!"  
The Reaper's smile only widened, "Just about what kind of mistakes you've made Ron, and what you could have done better." Ron glared, but said nothing. "Your particular problem was that you truly believed that you suffer from delusions of adequacy." the Reaper stated, like Professor McGonagall talking about what was wrong with a particular homework assignment.  
Ron blinked, not understanding. "I what?!" Harry ground his teeth in frustration. Next to him Hermione murmured quietly, her eyes still glued to the pacing figure of Ron.  
The Reaper had rolled his eyes at Ron's bafflement, "You feel inadequate." He restated, "You feel unworthy."  
"Unworthy of what?! Inadequate compared to what?!" Ron asked in exasperation, although his face was draining of color from the tension.  
Instead of answering him the Reaper posed another question. "How do you feel about Hermione?"  
Shock spread across Ron's face. Next to Harry, Hermione gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "What?" Ron asked, though he had obviously understood.  
The Reaper crossed his arms. "You heard me, just answer the question."  
"I am not talking about this with you!" Ron snapped. "Leave me alone!" He turned his back on the Reaper, who frowned in mock annoyance.  
"Can I take that as an indication that she's not all that important to you?" the master vampire asked with an air that indicated it was a loaded question. When Ron continued to ignore him an evil and devious grin spread over the Reaper's face. "In that case, I'll just kill her."  
Ron whirled around, his eyes wide. "What!?" Hermione shivered next to Harry.  
The Reaper shrugged as if it were a matter of no consequence. "If you won't talk to me about her I can't learn anything and therefore she's just excess baggage. You know what I do with excess baggage? I'm feeling a bit peckish, a snack could be in order." He flashed his fangs at Ron and began to pull away from the cell. Harry tensed, setting himself to protect Hermione any way he could.  
Ron's mood turned from surprise to anger in a split second. He dashed up to the bars, his hands curled into fists and he glared murderously at the smirking vampire. When he spoke, his voice was shaking so much he was almost incoherent. "Don't...You...Touch...Her!" he spat, emphasizing each word.  
The Reaper was completely unfazed by the display of anger. "Talk to me and she's useful. Keep silent, and I'll drink her dry myself." His voice was hard, but his eyes sparkled like this was great fun.  
Ron snarled and hurled himself forward at the vampire in a reckless rage. "Ron no!" Hermione screamed desperately, but of course he didn't hear her.  
Unheedingly, Ron smashed himself against the bars of his cell, but his clawing fingers stopped an inch from the Reaper's face. The master vampire didn't even bat an eyelid. "You dirty evil...Don't you dare...I'll kill you!" yelled Ron crashing into the bars again. But the Reaper was just beyond his reach. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"  
With a movement so swift it was almost invisible, the Reaper surged forward and dealt Ron a blow that sent him tumbling backward into his cell, clutching his chest. Hermione screamed in anger and Harry shouted angrily, trying to distract the vampire's attention. "You coward! Why don't' you fight someone who isn't imprisoned?! Or are you too weak?!"  
The Reaper however, was totally focused on his quarry and didn't even spare them a glance. He leaned against the bars of the cell as Ron sat up painfully. "Well, now that we got that out of our systems, let's talk nice okay? I ask. You answer. Let's just start with that all right?"  
Ron shot the Reaper a poisonous glare, but seemed to have acquiesced for the moment, although it was probably as difficult as swallowing stinksap and skele-gro. "Yeah." was all he muttered.  
"So, what do you think of Hermione?" asked the Reaper, "What is she to you?"  
"Her and I are mates," Ron stated firmly, "best mates." Then he shut his mouth, obviously intending to leave it at that.  
The Reaper however, looked skeptical. "That's it?" Ron nodded, the vampire shook his head. "You'll pardon me if I call you a liar, or I guess you won't, it's not like it matters." Hermione drew in a sharp breath, staring in fascination. Harry couldn't pull his eyes away, what was the Reaper fishing for?  
Ron narrowed his eyes and said, "Oh yeah?"  
"Yep," The Reaper said cheerily, "what say you be honest with me? I'm pretty good at sniffing out falsehood, and you reek of it if I do say so myself."  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ron said firmly, crossing his lanky arms.  
The Reaper shrugged dismissively, "Another question then, why did you get so angry whenever my boy Krum was around?" Hermione choked, Harry squeezed her arm, willing her to be strong. The Reaper didn't need any more weapons to use against them. Seeing what Krum had done and what the Reaper had done to him couldn't have been easy for Hermione, who, at the very least, had thought very highly of Krum. But if she could avoid showing it, they would be better off.  
Ron looked uncomfortable, obviously he didn't want to speak ill of Krum for Hermione's sake and out of respect for what had happened to him. "It's okay," wheedled the Reaper in a reassuring voice, "nobody's hearing this but me." Harry sucked in his breath, biting back a curse at the lie, but there was nothing he could do. "Just say what's on your mind, she'll never know, she's not here."  
Ron turned away and for a moment Harry feared he was going to ignore the vampire's questions again. But then he saw Ron's fists shaking and knew his friend was wrestling with how to answer a question associated with powerful emotions. "You want the truth?" Ron's voice was so low Harry could barely hear it.  
"Naturally." the Reaper replied, his eyes shining with anticipation.  
"I hated him." Ron stated coldly. Hermione gasped and even Harry caught his breath at the emotion in Ron's voice. "I hated him. Every time I saw him with her I just wanted to hit something as hard as I could, just cause pain, even to myself." He shuddered, "Even to her."  
The Reaper looked enraptured, "Why?"  
"What do you mean why!?" Ron roared, spinning around in a sudden explosion. "Isn't it self explanatory?!"  
"Not really," said the Reaper, shrugging, "there has to be a reason, you haven't provided me one." He looked expectantly at Ron.  
Ron looked down. He started to say something, then stopped. He seemed to be struggling with himself. Harry knew this had to be excruciating for him, Ron was doing something that went against his very nature. He was discussing his feelings, and with an enemy no less, one who had attacked his family and terrorized his friends.  
"I..." He fumbled again.  
"Come on," The Reaper's voice was light and encouraging, "I know you can say it."  
Ron shot him a murderous glare, but lowered his head and answered, "I...I like her. I like her a lot." Hermione was holding her breath and Harry found he was holding his too. She was squeezing his arm, her fingers crushing cloth into his skin. He was losing feeling in his hands from gripping the bars of his cell.  
Still the Reaper seemed unsatisfied. "Like? Like inspired that kind of anger, that kind of jealousy?"  
"I wasn't jealous!" shouted Ron angrily.  
"Shut up!" roared the Reaper. Harry jumped in surprise and Hermione squeaked. Ron jerked back from the bars, staring at the vampire in shock. Until now the Reaper had been calm, reposed, even constantly amused. Now, he stood tall, his fangs bared, his eyes had turned a sulfurous yellow.  
"Now is not the time for your simpering excuses and denials!" The Reaper snarled, and suddenly his scythe appeared in his hand, seemingly out of nowhere. He slashed it downward until it pointed at Ron. "Honesty Ron! Honesty! Throw away your lies and denials, I haven't the patience to sit here and hear you spout them! That may be good enough for Harry but you will be honest or I swear I will go and cut Hermione's throat this second!" As suddenly as he had flown into a rage the Reaper quieted. The scythe disappeared and his eyes returned to their normal grey. "So don't lie to me anymore, last warning." He smiled again and leaned against the bars again. "Now where were we?"  
Ron swallowed, clenching and unclenching his hands. He looked truly fearful, but Harry could tell Ron was not afraid for himself. Hermione had moved from holding onto his arm and was now leaning forward; both of her hands were white from gripping the bars.  
"Okay..." Ron's shoulders slumped, finally defeated by the Reaper's anger. "Okay..." He took a deep breath, and then looked the vampire straight in the eye. "I love her." Hermione gasped again, looking at Ron with tears shining in her eyes. Harry stood dumbfounded, Ron had finally said it.  
"I love so much it hurts. I can't bear seeing her with Krum, but I can't bear not seeing her. That's why I got angry so many times. It broke my heart seeing her with someone else."  
The Reaper was smiling in delight, "Very good, and the jealousy?"  
"I couldn't stand that she seemed so happy to be with Krum. I wanted her to be that happy with me." Tears were now standing in Ron's eyes too. "But who am I kidding? What am I compared to Viktor Krum? She deserves a special bloke, so why shouldn't she want him more than me? He's an international quidditch player; he's smart enough to be a Professor when he's barely older than me. I'm nothing compared to him!"  
"Oh Ron..." Hermione whispered, "No Ron don't..."  
"So that's it." Ron glowered at the grinning vampire. "I love her. But she'll never know about it, because Krum is twice as good as I'll ever be."  
Harry was shaking with anger at seeing his best mate forced into baring his heart for this uncaring vampire. The Reaper was smiling in amusement and had just waved his scythe nonchalantly, he didn't care at all.  
Nearly sobbing as she slumped against the bars, Hermione leaned forward. "I love you too." She said quietly, staring at Ron.  
Ron jerked and whirled around, staring in shock through his tears, directly at Hermione. Harry suddenly understood. That wave of the scythe had been the undoing of the blocking spell, Ron could now see them.  
"Hermione..." whispered Ron, hurriedly he swiped at his own tears, still staring at her in disbelief. Harry suddenly felt like an intruder on a private scene. His reverie was ended by the laughter of the Reaper. He turned to the vampire angrily. The Reaper smiled again and spread his arms. "The lesson ends!" He laughed and waved his scythe again, muttering something.  
Hermione disappeared from next to Harry and reappeared in Ron's cell. Turning she saw Ron staring at her bleakly. He said nothing, now realizing she had heard his entire confession. He closed his eyes in obvious pain and embarrassment and sank to his knees. Hermione ran to him as he fell, she flung her arms around him as he buried his face in her hair.  
That was the last thing Harry saw as a curtain of blackness descended between him and his friends. In a moment he felt a jerk like a portkey and was moving away at a rapid pace. He still couldn't see anything, but the trip was short, only a few seconds at most.  
When it stopped he opened his eyes, he was standing in a small courtyard of grey stone. A few ravens perched on the wall around him, looking at him hungrily. Next to him a large fountain trickled clear water into a small basin. The only exit in front of him was a large stone arch through which he could see trees.  
He was about to hurry forward and see if he could figure out where he was when he heard the Reaper's voice behind him.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event!"


	77. Chapter 76: Harry's Lesson

Congratulations to Sarah Noisette for figuring out the Reaper's game. His motives for his actions are explained in this chapter. Just keep in mind that cruelty is his greatest joy...  
  
Also, when you read this chapter, keep in mind that I believe in happy endings, that does not include killing major characters J.K. Rowling set up, that's for her to do.  
  
Chapter 76: Harry's Lesson  
Harry turned around, behind him stood the Reaper; he was standing next to a large, black, block of obsidian. Harry started, seeing something silver and red protruding from the top of the block. The sword of Godric Gryffindor was thrust upright into the block like the mythical sword in the stone.  
"You?!" Harry cried incredulously, "You stole it!"  
"Well, not directly." The Reaper reached out and patted the sword with a kind of fondness, then withdrew his hand quickly as if the touch pained him. "I just had Krum swipe it for me. I understand he cast the Imperius curse on that idiot Lucius Malfoy's son. He had the boy turn the sword incorporeal and waited one floor below to catch it as it fell through the floor. Then he gave it to one of my followers in the Forbidden Forest and I installed it here. I think it gives the place a nice look, don't you? Krum even broke one of my boys out of that prison so he could wreck Malfoy Manor. All in all he's been quite useful, I wish he'd had the sense to not point wands at me."  
The vampire seemed only slightly regretful of his maiming of Krum. Harry curled his lip in disgust, obviously the Reaper only regretted the fact he couldn't use Krum like a puppet anymore.  
"Of course Voldemort was the one who wanted the sword stolen when he heard I had Krum in my pocket." The Reaper went on. "But I didn't see why he should get to keep it any more than he should get to keep you. So I told him I didn't have it yet and kept it. After all, who did all the work?"  
Harry looked around, but couldn't think of anything he could do. The Reaper was much faster than he was and would catch him before he got three steps in any direction. Also he had no hope of fighting the vampire without his wand, and he didn't have the faintest idea where it was.  
Behind the smiling vampire he could see another archway which contained a large and strong-looking iron door. No doubt this was the entrance to the Reaper's lair where he had Ginny, Ron and Hermione, but Harry had no hope of getting past the Reaper and finding them either. The door was half open, but the interior was too shadowed for him to see anything. Two crystal globes (which seemed to be for illumination or some other purpose) hung on either side of the door in plain view of Harry and the Reaper, Harry barely spared them a glance.  
"Now," said the Reaper, leaning on the obsidian block, "are you ready for your lesson?"  
"Lesson?" Harry said angrily, "Is that what you call it? A lesson?"  
"Quite," the Reaper replied, "would you call it something else?"  
"You helped them," Harry said, his anger rising at his inability to understand why the vampire had done so, "why did you help them see?"  
The Reaper's grin turned malevolent, "Ah, you see Harry that's a very interesting matter. When you get to be as old as I am, entertainment becomes scarce. There were times when I despaired of ever being amused again."  
Harry snorted, was he supposed to feel sympathetic? He still couldn't understand what the Reaper was getting out of helping Ron and Hermione realize their mistakes and getting them together.  
"But then," the Reaper's eyes seemed to shine with an unholy light, "I discovered something, a form of entertainment that would never run dry. Selective instruction, you just saw a sample of it in there. As I said, it's frustrating to see people not acting on what they want and missing out. So I decided to teach them to see it. But as soon as I taught them what they had missed, they would be happy. I hate people who are happy as much as I hate being bored. So I killed my first pupil before she could benefit from the lesson I had given her."  
Harry sucked in his breath, "And that's your ultimate entertainment?" he growled.  
"There's nothing like it in the world Harry." The Reaper grinned, "Teach someone something that changes their whole life, and then take it away from them before they can use it." His eyes gleamed fanatically, "Uprooting a plant before it bears fruit, I never do get tired of it."  
Harry's disgust with this sentiment was beyond words. So, he said nothing as the Reaper produced his scythe. "Now, are you ready for your lesson?"  
"Heh," said Harry with a scowl, "there's nothing you can teach me."  
"Tsk, tsk," The Reaper shook his head, "still that arrogant? Jeez, maybe Snape has the right idea. Always did like him, never met another bloke on your side of things who was as determined to spread his negative attitude around. Although given what your father did to him he might have a slightly biased viewpoint."  
"Shut up!" snarled Harry.  
"Ah yes," the Reaper grinned in amusement, "that's a touchy subject eh? Don't like old Snape, but at the same time you feel guilty about what happened to him." He laughed callously, "Try reconciling those feelings."  
He crossed his arms and continued. "But I'm not here for that, you'll figure out sometime that it's misplaced to hate him. Or rather you won't because you're not going to be around long enough. Pity, I'd have liked to make a new lesson for that one and let you live longer. But moderation was never a virtue I held in very high esteem, at least my moderation isn't."  
"Does this have a point?" Harry asked. Anger began rising in him as he looked at this thing that had spread so much misery and suffering and had laughed the whole way. It was just another reason to hate. Hate this vampire, and hate Voldemort for releasing him.  
"I see we're going to have to cut straight to the lesson." The Reaper said, with some annoyance. "Ron was so much more cooperative."  
"Cooperative!?" Harry yelled. "You broke him down with threats! How is that cooperative?!"  
"Would you rather I threatened you?" The Reaper asked conversationally, as if Harry were taking a survey.  
Harry laughed bitterly, "I'm not afraid of you! Do what you like to me. I've taken it from Voldemort himself, you can't be any worse."  
"You have hit the nail on the head Harry!" The Reaper smiled at him like a Professor would at a particularly exemplary pupil. It only made Harry angrier to see that expression on the vampire's face.  
The Reaper continued, still smiling at him. "But, if you'll notice Harry, I never threatened Ron's person." Harry's eyes grew wide; he could guess where this was going. "You see, Voldemort made the mistake of focusing just on you. He's so unimaginative, he simply doesn't realize that just because he doesn't care about anyone but himself, doesn't mean that everyone else is the same way."  
"And you don't think that way? You expect me to believe that?" Harry asked insolently, trying to distract the vampire.  
"Oh I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I care about anyone else." The Reaper replied cheerily, "I'm just saying I know that everybody else does care about at least a few other people...especially you Harry." Harry winced; he hadn't distracted the vampire at all.  
"Your character in particular is most fascinating to me Harry," The Reaper said, "you have been forced to bear burdens and suffering beyond the scope of most mortals I know, and certainly none your age. Yet for all that, you care nothing for your own safety when it comes to protecting those you care about. You are willing to take all the blame for their misfortunes and suffer more so that they don't have to. For that reason, Voldemort has made a mistake, if he wants to give you pain, he shouldn't hurt you. He should hurt those closest to you."  
Harry felt a cold dread at the vampire's words, but didn't know what to say. The Reaper continued in a more serious voice. "Now, are you going to be a good student? Or am I going to have to resort to my animal nature? I've always had a thing for red headed women." He flashed his fangs in a malicious grin.  
Harry glared in hatred, but knew there was nothing he could do. He knew he would fold the second the Reaper threatened Ginny, just as Ron had done for Hermione. "What now?" he asked.  
"Good boy!" The Reaper smiled, "I knew you had it in you! Now to business! You suffer from ignorance of others, I wish I could be more specific but that just isn't possible."  
"What?!" asked Harry. Even though he had been expecting something critical and unusual, the Reaper still managed to surprise him.  
"You have trouble thinking about things from other people's point of view." The Reaper clarified. "Hermione has tried to help you with this, but you can't seem to grasp it. I'm sure she finds it frustrating, but that's her lesson."  
"Yeah?" Harry said challengingly, "When did you teach her?"  
The Reaper looked at him as though he had asked a very stupid question. "This is what I'm talking about Harry. Why did you think I let her watch Ron's lesson? Because it was a lesson for her too and I think she learned it rather well, she's quite an intelligent girl.  
"Hmph, so what was her flaw?" Harry asked sarcastically, glad they were discussing someone else, he didn't like his flaws being the Reaper's focus.  
"She suffered from the delusion of overconfidence." The Reaper said sagely, "Oh, she's not arrogant enough to believe she knows everything. But she does think she knows enough about everyone around her to safely make judgments about them. You know what I'm talking about Harry."  
Harry had to admit the vampire had a point, much as he hated himself for even giving that little victory to the Reaper. He remembered the annoyingly superior tone Hermione always used when she was explaining something about Ginny, Krum or Cho to him and Ron. She had seemed quite confident that she knew what was going on. Harry didn't deem that to be a flaw, but clearly the Reaper did.  
"Seeing what Ron really felt was probably a big eye opener for her. She needs to make fewer assumptions and be unsure sometimes." Suddenly the Reaper's eyes focused on Harry again. "As do you Harry, don't assume I've forgotten what we're really here for." Harry's heart sank. "Now where was I? Ah yes, you not seeing what other people feel and think."  
"You seem awfully confident in your own judgment!" Harry snarled.  
"Two-hundred and fifty-six years of observing humankind will do that to you Harry." The Reaper smirked. "Are you telling me I'm wrong?" Harry said nothing. "Good, you're learning already."  
Harry scowled at him, "What have you done with Ginny?!" he demanded, "You said she was here, show her to me!"  
"Sorry Harry," The Reaper smiled indulgently, infuriating Harry. "she's indisposed at the moment. Besides, what makes you think she'd want to see you? You and her have been tense lately am I right?"  
Harry again said nothing. Yes he and Ginny had been at odds for a while. But he wasn't about to say so, it was obvious the Reaper knew that already."  
"She really has had a tough time of it Harry." The Reaper lectured him, "And you haven't made it any easier you know."  
Harry glowered, "I've done nothing but try to be her friend."  
"And maybe thought about being more than a friend?" asked the Reaper, looking at him innocently.  
It was Harry's first impulse to deny it vehemently. But he remembered where that had gotten Ron. Clenching his fists he forced it out. "Yes." The Reaper grinned triumphantly, but Harry pushed on before he could ask more questions. "Yes I fancy her, maybe even a lot. But it hasn't done us any good. She just tries to ignore it, like it isn't even there."  
"Hmmm, unrequited love. Pining after someone who doesn't even acknowledge you for who you are. Why does this sound familiar?" The Reaper pretended to think.  
"Wha..." Harry paused, then gritted his teeth as he got it.  
"Exactly!" crowed the Reaper, pointing at him. "Exactly! You see it now!"  
"Hermione already pulled this one on me!" Harry snarled at the master vampire, "She's being hurt by my feelings for her and the past is interfering with her ability to deal with it, or some such thing!"  
"And you don't think that's the case?" inquired The Reaper, grinning like a stalking cat.  
"I don't know!" growled Harry, "I can't read her thoughts! I don't see how she can't put the past aside. This is the present and these things are happening now. I don't see why it can't be easier."  
"Hmm," the Reaper shrugged, "well at least you've confirmed my diagnosis of your problem."  
"Heh," Harry said sarcastically, turning away, "full points to you then."  
"I'm the teacher," the Reaper said mildly, "I give the points." Harry heard the scythe handle scrape along the floor as the master vampire stood straight. "And I think it's time I taught you something."  
Harry whirled just as the Reaper flung the spinning scythe at him. He tried to jump aside but the vampire had been far too quick, the attack unexpected. Harry closed his eyes as he felt the blade strike...  
There was no pain, instead he suddenly felt lighter. The world around him seemed to blur and distort, as though he were looking at it through a curtain of water. "What the..." he began, and then bit off his words as he was thrown backward by a powerful feeling sweeping through him.  
It was love, love and pain, pain that made his suffering for his unrequited feelings for Ginny pale in comparison. It was love for him...She loved him...  
"Ginny..." he managed to gasp, his eyes watering from the shock.  
She had loved him for years. What had started out as a simple infatuation with a famous boy had become something more, much more than anyone would have expected of a young girl. But he hadn't even acknowledged her for all those years. Finally she'd had enough and she had buried the love as deep as it would go and tried to forget it.  
Just when it had faded to a dull ache, just when they had become friends, he had turned about and yanked all those feelings and pain back out. He saw his own face speaking, "I care for you! I love you! Why can't you understand?!"  
That had caused her such a wrench of pain that he cursed his own image even as it declared his love. Finally the lightness faded, along with the emotions. He was on his knees in the courtyard, bent double and gasping for air.  
"Ginny." He gasped again.  
There came a metallic scraping as the Reaper appropriated his scythe from where it had fallen. Harry hadn't been cut by it; it was merely the Reaper's instrument. The Reaper bent down to look him in the eye, a delighted smile upon his face. "Well that worked even better than I'd hoped. Feeling guilty?"  
Harry dashed the tears from his eyes, clenched his fist, and pulled himself upright. The Reaper clasped his hands on his scythe handle behind his back a few feet away and just watched. Harry did indeed feel guilty; the only guilt that had ever been worse was when he had blamed himself for Sirius' death. Now he'd hurt that sweet, wonderful woman. He didn't know how he was going to live with himself.  
He looked back to the Reaper and glared, "Let me see her!"  
"Pardon?" the Reaper feigned confusion, "Who?"  
"Ginny, damn you!" shouted Harry, "I need to see Ginny! I have to...I have to tell her I'm sorry."  
"Hmm," the vampire shrugged nonchalantly, "Okay." He did some kind of complicated movement with his scythe, muttering. Then he stopped and turned toward the doors. "There you go."  
"What?" asked Harry, not really grasping that his request had been granted.  
"She's right here!" the Reaper crowed gleefully, throwing back the folds of his long coat so that Harry could see behind him.  
Ginny lay sprawled on the cold stones, her hair covering her face in disarray. Grinning, the Reaper turned and went through the iron door behind him.  
"Ginny!" shouted Harry, dashing forward he hurled himself down on the stones beside her with bruising force. With shaking hands he reached out and cradled her head. He brushed the fiery red hair that he loved so much out of her face.  
  
Two soft brown eyes stared up at him, cold and empty in the light of the crystal globes nearby.  
  
"No," he gasped, "No."  
From the door, the Reaper laughed.  
  
CALM DOWN, I DID NOT JUST KILL GINNY. As I said, I don't believe in killing off major characters when their story isn't finished. Just wait for the next chapter, which will be coming soon because this is a terrible cliffhanger. 


	78. Chapter 77: The Fury

I apologize for the terrible delay, my internet connection chose to go haywire last week and I've just now fixed it. Welcome to my new reviewers, and many thanks to my old ones.  
  
Chapter 77: The Fury  
Anger and hatred the likes of which he had never known welled up inside Harry. Not even the night when he had lost Sirius had brought him this close to the edge; it seemed to course through his veins like the blackest of poisons. Laying Ginny's body gently on the ground he whirled around. But the huge iron door had clanged shut behind the Reaper.  
With an animal scream of rage and anguish Harry charged forward. He was barely aware that he felt powerful, swift and sleek, as though he were energized by some inner power. He passed the obsidian block on his wild dash for the door. Reaching out as he swept past, he tore the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the stone with an almighty wrench of his fist.  
He didn't care that the Reaper was powerful, he didn't care that the place was probably full of vampires and Ron and Hermione were still trapped there somewhere. He was past caring about anything that might make him hesitate. All he could see were those brown eyes, lifeless in that beautiful face.  
With a cry he brought up the sword as he got to the door. He felt the blade vibrating in his hand, as though it hummed with power, or perhaps it was just his shaking hands. With both hands he brought the blade down on the middle of the door. The door was huge and strong and he was just a sixteen year old boy, but his anger and pain seemed to seep into the blade as it flashed downward.  
The small part of his mind that was not clouded by a black rage was surprised when there was a noise like a thunderclap and the huge iron door blew apart in tiny fragments. In the light of the crystal globes Harry could see a set of stairs leading upward, disappearing into the deep shadows of the tower.  
"REAPER!" Harry yelled, raising the sword above his head and charging up the stairs in a full sprint.  
After a minute of running he heard a snarl and looked up. Three lesser vampires vaulted down the stairs to meet him, their fangs flashing in the light of the globes that were still following him. Without even breaking stride Harry dashed up to them and swung the sword in a great arc.  
There was a blood red flash and all three vampires exploded into cinders. Again, a small part of Harry was amazed at what was happening. The magic displayed here went far beyond anything he had ever managed to do before. His accidental magic use at the Dursleys was nothing compared to this. These idle thoughts were lost as he came to the end of the stairs.  
More vampires appeared as he ran inside and he mowed them down as they leapt out of the shadows to block his path. The Reaper was standing in the one pool of light in what looked like the center of the room. He was holding his scythe, and seemed only mildly surprised to see a furious Harry bearing down on him.  
"Monster!!!" roared Harry. He leapt forward, despite the fact that the Reaper had single-handedly defeated four Death Eaters without hurt. Harry didn't care, he attacked anyway putting all that pent up power behind his swing. Confidently he slashed at that hated face.  
As the sword came down the Reaper raised his scythe and batted it aside. His face was implacable, but the block obviously took some effort. Before Harry could recover from the massive swing the Reaper ducked down and swept his legs out from under him with a skillful kick.  
Harry thought later that he must have landed hard on the cold stone floor, but he didn't even feel it at the time. Everything was pouring out of him in a rush. All the pain, anger, and hatred he had ever felt in his life. The anguish of growing up a neglected orphan, the anger at Voldemort for all his deeds, the pain and guilt when he lost Sirius and saw Cedric die, hatred for this vampire who had taken the one he loved, anger at himself for not being able to stop it, it all seemed to seep from his every pore, he was saturated by it.  
In seconds he was up and charging at the Reaper again. He rained down blow after blow, seeking a way around the vampire's scythe. The Reaper was blocking the crushing blows with effort. Harry could vaguely hear himself cursing viciously, as though he were hearing it from a long distance.  
"You killed her! Die you monster! I loved her! I loved her! I'll kill you! Damn you! Damn you!" He was shouting invectives over and over again, wanting nothing more than to stamp out this hated thing that had dared to attack those he cared about.  
"Now, now," the Reaper said, his calm voice belied his strained blocking, "is this really necessary?"  
"You killed her!" shouted Harry, slashing again. "You took her away from me!"  
The Reaper ducked the sword, "Are you so sure of that? How sure are you that she's gone?"  
That simple statement brought Harry up short, his pent up emotions flying away as though they had struck a brick wall. "Wha..." he didn't get to finish. The Reaper punched him in the stomach, causing him to double up and drop the sword as he fell to his knees.  
He tried to get up, but the flood seemed to have abated and left him drained. He raised his head, the Reaper was not looking at him but was staring off into the darkness of the room, and he was smiling gleefully again. "You see!" he shouted triumphantly. Time for the end! The lessons are complete."  
Torches sprang up all around the room, revealing what Harry had missed in his wild attack. Behind the Reaper were the two cells he had been in before. Ron and Hermione stood holding hands in one of them. Both were looking at him in concern.  
Next to them was another crystal globe, but this one showed a picture of Harry kneeling on the floor. Harry realized they had seen the whole series of events between him and the Reaper. The vampire had pulled the same trick on him that he had used on Ron. His friends had been watching, unable to help him.  
This was an unexpected revelation and a surprising one. However Harry found himself forgetting it as his eyes were drawn to someone else. Next to his former cell, pinioned between two lesser vampires, was Ginny. Next to her was another globe.  
Harry gasped, trying to pull himself to his feet. "Ginny!" he shouted.  
"Harry! Harry I'm okay!" she cried, straining to escape her captors. At a nod from the Reaper they released her. She ran directly to Harry as he struggled to his knees and flung her arms around him.  
Harry found himself sobbing with relief as he held her tightly, almost not believing she was real. But she was really there, he could feel her pressed against him, and hear her voice. Squeezing her even more he cried into her shoulder, "I'm sorry!" He wanted that to be the first thing he said to her. "I'm so sorry!"  
"Don't Harry," she pulled back, gazing into his eyes, they were both crying, "it's okay, it's all right."  
Maniacal laughter rang through the room along with a loud reverberating crack. Harry looked up; the Reaper had struck his scythe handle on the floor. His laughter continued, as though he were in the middle of some incredibly funny joke. Feeling a bit stronger, Harry stood with Ginny alongside him. The cell bars caging Ron and Hermione retracted down into the floor.  
"What's going on!?" shouted Ron angrily as stood protectively in front of Hermione, the two minion vampires were prowling uncomfortably close.  
"The lessons are over Ron!" crowed the Reaper joyfully. "Time for some fun!" He gripped his scythe in both hands and turned, leering at Harry and Ginny. "School's out."  
"Look out!" shouted Hermione, "He's going to..."  
With frightful speed, the Reaper charged directly at Harry. He raised his scythe as his eyes burned yellow. "Time to pay the devil his due Harry!"  
Gripping Ginny tightly by the shoulders, Harry flung her as far from him as he could. "Harry no!" she shouted, but he didn't have time to think about her. Turning he scooped up the Sword of Godric Gruffindor from the floor and brought it up to face the Reaper. He caught a brief glance of Ron and Hermione seizing torches from the wall brackets to fight the lesser vampires who were appearing from the stairs and then the Reaper was on him.  
With a fluid movement the Reaper slashed downward at Harry's head. Harry brought up the sword and barely managed to block the strike. The scythe didn't make contact, but the force of the blow sent him reeling. The power that had energized him before was gone, weariness dragged at his limbs.  
Spinning gracefully, the Reaper delivered an open-handed slap to the side of Harry's head. Harry struck the ground painfully, the sword almost slipping from his aching fingers. 'He's toying with me!' Harry thought, rolling over and pulling himself to his feet.  
The Reaper hadn't moved. In fact he was leaning on his scythe a few feet away, grinning insolently. "Oh good," he laughed mockingly, "I thought for a second I might have hit you a little too hard." He ran a hand along the edge of his scythe blade. "I wouldn't want this to end too soon, it's less fun." He tapped the blade's point twice on the floor, as though testing its strength.  
"Let's try again, if I do this..." He slashed horizontally. "You do..." Harry blocked, the impact shivering his arms, "that, very good." The Reaper stated like a fencing instructor.  
"And if I do this?!" snarled Harry, suddenly leaping forward and stabbing with everything he had left. He'd seen Ginny kicking and struggling between two vampires and Ron and Hermione fighting to hold back three more with their torches. He knew if he didn't end this now they'd lost.  
For a moment he thought he'd done it, the blade of his sword slipped past the scythe and plunged toward the Reaper's torso. The next second the vampire had twisted like a snake, he locked the sword blade between the blade and handle of his scythe and used Harry's own momentum to fling him to the ground with punishing force.  
The red and silver sword spun out of his hands and tumbled into the stairwell. Harry could hear it clattering down the stairs, along with the frantic squeaking of rats as they hurried out of its way. Replacing his glasses on his nose, he tried to stand up. However he could barely summon the strength to roll over and sit up. The strong hands of a minion vampire gripped him once again and raised him up.  
The Reaper stood before him frowning in disapproval, "Hmph, you're less resilient than I'd hoped." He shook his head, "What a disappointment." He signaled and two of his lesser vampires brought forward a kicking, biting and scratching Ginny.  
"Ginny! Harry! Hang on!" Shouted Ron, setting one of his opponents alight. He and Hermione couldn't get past the other two vampires.  
"Game over." Snarled the Reaper, as his two minions flung Ginny down in front of him, both were obviously happy to be rid of her. He raised his scythe in salute, "Here's to you Harry!" and flung up his arms, preparing to strike.  
"Nooo!!!" shouted Harry, as the blade sped downward toward the girl he loved.  
"STUPEFY!!!" roared a voice. A blinding red stunner struck the Reaper in the chest with a resounding crack. The master vampire was blown off his feet and tumbled backwards. He landed a bit shakily, but still upright and conscious several meters away.  
Dumbledore stood at the head of the stairs; a palpable aura of dangerous power surrounded him. Behind him were Professor McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid and Lupin.  
"Uh oh," the Reaper said, although he didn't seem to be worried in the slightest. "Daddy's here."  
"That's enough Reaper!" shouted Dumbledore, his eyes flashing. "It is time for this to end!"  
"Oh I agree." The Reaper whistled sharply. Lesser vampires, led by a white-haired female, poured into the room. Harry counted maybe twenty or more. With an animal roar they charged Dumbledore's group en masse.  
The Headmaster brought up his wand and moved to meet the onrushing monsters. McGonagall, Snape and Lupin all followed behind him, backing him up. Hagrid however, appeared to have his own priorities. The vampires holding Harry and his friends had left them to fight the teachers, leaving only the Reaper in their vicinity. This was where Hagrid turned his steps.  
When the vampire dropped him, Harry lost his footing and sank to the floor. Ginny crawled to him, grabbing hold of his hand tightly. Ron and Hermione rushed up to them.  
"Harry!" Hermione said, looking him over in concern as Ron helped him stand up. "Are you all right?!" Harry nodded, too out of breath to speak. Ron, glancing nervously at the Reaper, tried to pull Ginny away. She shook him off and stayed next to Harry, watching the master vampire like a hawk.  
The Reaper however, did not look their way, his focus was elsewhere. This was a sensible action on the vampire's part because Hagrid was bearing down on him bellowing like an enraged bear. He was wielding a thick oaken staff, sharpened at both ends. He used this to dispatch the few vampires in his way. Dumbledore and the rest seemed to have their hands full with the swarms of vampires attacking them.  
"Yeh're done!" roared Hagrid, as he finished off the screeching white- haired vampire. He broke through the mass of struggling bodies and faced the Reaper. "I'm bringin' yeh down here!"  
"Awww," the Reaper swished his scythe back and forth, "you're really going to use that on me?" He pointed to Hagrid's weapon. "Don't you want to see your friend again? Stake me, and Darius dies!"  
Hagrid glared, but did not falter. "If I have ter do it, I know Raider'll understand. C'mon you, let's git this over with."  
The Reaper shrugged and shed his black coat, "Begin." They both set themselves and began circling. The two powerful combatants began a slow dance.  
"Hagrid be careful!" shouted Hermione. As Hagrid's eyes flicked to her the Reaper snapped forward quick as a whip. Hagrid threw up his staff just in time to stop the scythe blade from striking his face, but not before the blade scratched his cheek.  
Ron hurriedly pulled Hermione back, "Don't distract him Hermione!"  
"But we've got to do something!" cried Hermione as Hagrid shoved the Reaper backwards and aimed a powerful swing at the vampire's legs.  
Harry fumed at his exhaustion as the Reaper leapt above the attack and flipped completely over Hagrid's giant form, using his shoulders for traction. With a snarl of triumph the Reaper slashed at Hagrid's unprotected back. "Look out!" Harry shouted, but he was too drained to get there fast enough.  
Luckily he didn't have to. Ginny dropped his hand and swept up the torch Hermione had buried in another vampire's ashes. With all the swiftness and precision of a trained Chaser, she hurled the torch at the Reaper. Halfway through his attack the vampire was forced to twist around at an odd angle as the fire came at him.  
Still, he was the Reaper. The scythe blade sliced the torch neatly in half, leaving him untouched. But the moment it took him to do it was costly, Hagrid whirled around and passed his staff over the vampire's head. Securing a chokehold he lifted the Reaper off the ground and kicked the scythe out of the vampire's hand. With a grunt of terrible effort, Hagrid held the powerful Reaper immobile in the air.  
The Reaper howled in rage, straining with all his considerable might to break the hold. "Can't kill me!!!" He screeched, spitting and hissing like a caged animal. "Not me! Not the Reaper!!!"  
Harry was nearly blinded by an exceptionally powerful flash from Dumbledore's wand and the remaining vampires blocking him disintegrated. He strode forward through the swirling dust. "Darius!" he cried, raising his arm. "Awake!"  
Lupin was behind him, holding a strange leather-bound book. He seemed to be muttering an incantation, tracing strange symbols in the air with his wand.  
The golden crystal sphere glowed for a moment in Dumbledore's outstretched palm, before the Headmaster flicked his fingers and it shot forward and struck the Reaper in the forehead.  
A bestial roar broke from the Reaper's throat, golden light shot from his eyes, nose and mouth, as though someone had lit a fire in his skull. "Not done yet!" he screeched, "YOU WILL NEVER BE RID OF ME!!!!" he shrieked one last time, before giving in to incoherent snarling. The golden light became painfully bright, obscuring the struggling black form. Harry closed his eyes tightly, holding Ginny to him. Finally the light receded, cutting off as abruptly as if someone had flicked a switch.  
Slowly Harry and his friends opened their eyes. Hagrid had dropped his prisoner. The black clad form lay still on the stone floor. Hagrid, Lupin, and Dumbledore stepped up and looked down at the still body.  
Hermione edged forward curiously, but Ron skittishly pulled her back again, despite her reproachful look. He looked nervously at his former adversary. "Ummm, is he...?"  
Dumbledore said nothing. Professor McGonagall motioned for them to stay back, her eyes fixed on the black form. Snape showed no interest in the fallen vampire, but was checking the outlying areas and rooms for more vampires.  
Harry was about to ask what was going on when there was a long exhalation from the man lying on the floor, as though a breath held for far too long was finally being released. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all edged backwards nervously. Slowly, wearily, as though he were carrying the all the weight of the world on his shoulders, the man raised himself to his knees. Breathing heavily he stared around himself with troubled grey eyes. Harry had no difficulty knowing that this was someone very different from the Reaper. The pure horror he saw reflected in those eyes told him that.  
Those grey eyes looked at every person in turn, and then they fell on the scythe and coat still lying on the floor in a pool of moonlight. Dumbledore raised a careful hand toward the man, "Darius..." he began.  
A howl the likes of which Harry had never heard tore from the man, a howl that spoke of anguish, pain, and unspeakable horrors. It seemed to go on and on, he gripped his face with his fingers so tightly that he cut himself with his own nails. Lupin and Hagrid both moved forward, but the man stumbled to his feet and ran.  
He ran with the same unnatural speed as the Reaper but he lacked the fluid finesse, this was the wild dash of a madman. Harry could hear the screams getting fainter and fainter as the man vanished down the long stairwell. He turned, seeing the horrified faces of Ron and Hermione. Ginny was gripping his hand so tightly it hurt.  
"Hagrid, Remus! Go after him!" Dumbledore shouted, "Severeus get the sword! Minerva if you would please see to them!" He hurried after the sprinting shapes of Hagrid and Lupin without another word.  
Come here, come here." Professor McGonagall snapped in her usual brisk manner, as though they were back in class. "We'll use this." She picked up the scythe from the floor, deftly removing the black wand from the handle and folding up the coat. She pointed her wand at the now empty scythe and said, "Portus."  
Harry hesitated, not really wanting to touch the instrument. But bolstered by his friends, he stepped forward and laid his hand on it. He felt the jerk and the flying sensation, and then when he opened his eyes he found himself once more in Dumbledore's office.  
"Wait here until the Headmaster return," Professor McGonagall said calmly, laying the scythe on the desk. "I'll send Madame Pomphrey if any of you are injured."  
"We're fine Professor." Harry said, although his aching muscles belied him. Then a warm body pressed against him and Ginny's arm went around his waist.  
"We'll be all right." She said firmly, and Harry believed it  
Professor McGonagall looked keenly at the two couple standing hand in hand and a small smile seemed to tug at her mouth. "Yes, I daresay you will be. Stay here." She disappeared down the stairs, leaving them holding one another and staring at the scythe on Dumbledore's desk.  
Hermione spoke quietly, "What do you think happened to him?" 


	79. Chapter 78: Darius

Chapter 78: Darius  
The man ran. He ran at the greatest speed possible, blindly crashing through the undergrowth, breaking branches, careening wildly off rocks and trees. He was far beyond caring which direction he went.  
  
It had happened.  
  
It had happened just like he had feared for so long. Oh Merlin he had done it! Those poor people, all those poor people he had hurt. How could he live?!  
  
Muderer!!! Killer!!! Animal!!!  
  
Their souls were following him, he swore he could hear them. 'Muderer!!! Go to hell!!! Go to hell!!! GO TO HELL!!!' They would not leave him be, they would not be silent, he had killed them. So he screamed, screamed as loud as he could to stop himself from hearing them. But they just echoed louder, he couldn't drown them out. So he ran on into the night, trying to outrun the guilt, trying to outrun the pain.  
He crashed into things, branches cut him, trees and rocks bruised and scratched him. Soon he was covered in blood, his garments in tatters, his shoes cut from his feet. Blood ran into his eyes, blinding him. All he could see was red. But still the voices shouted at him, still they accused, so he ran on screaming.  
Finally even his great strength gave out and he crashed to the ground, tumbling and bouncing several meters before coming to rest lying on his back. Still he screamed, trying to stop the accusers. He screamed until he couldn't scream any more, and then he screamed silently, his unblinking eyes staring into the black, starless sky.  
He lay for a while with his pain. Thunder clouds rolled in, obscuring the darkened sky. Lightning flashed and rain beat down upon him, cleaning the blood away. But he still lay there for a long time with the cold water washing over him, listening to the voices around him.  
And that was how Hagrid, Lupin and Dumbledore found him and carried him back to Hogwarts. Darius Raider lived again, awoken to his pain and the monster that was always on his shoulders.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat in Dumbledore's office for a long time without saying anything. There just didn't seem to be anything to say. The portraits of the Headmasters and Headmistresses were quiet, either snoozing or just sitting in calm contemplation. Even Phineas Nigellus was silent.  
Hermione and Ron seemed content, sitting side by side in one of the large armchairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. Hermione was resting her head on Ron's shoulder, his arm around hers. Their mutual declarations of love seemed to have hurled down the barriers between them. At this moment they radiated peace and serenity.  
Harry, sitting in the other armchair beside Ginny, felt less at ease. Doubts and guilt still assailed him despite the peaceful atmosphere. Ginny was here and she seemed to have forgiven him for his indiscretions. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Reaper's analysis of him had the stamp of truth. The hurt he had caused Ginny seemed proof enough that Harry really was inconsiderate of others' feelings. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable it made him.  
Hermione had told him last year after his fiasco of a date with Cho, that he had been insensitive towards Cho's problems with Cedric's death and her muddled feelings because of it. In retrospect he felt he could have handled the situation with Cho much better than he had. Harry sighed; perhaps the Reaper had a much better grasp of his character than he had originally thought.  
Even his difficulties with Ron in fourth year had stemmed partially from a misunderstanding of Ron's feelings. The weight of the evidence against him seemed terrible. Moodily, Harry stood up and wandered over toward the office wall where Fawkes' empty perch and the empty case of the Sword of Godric Gryffindor sat.  
He was staring at the space where the sword had once sat, brooding over his misgivings, when a soft touch on his shoulder made him turn. Ginny was gazing up at him with concern in her warm brown eyes. "Are you all right Harry?"  
Harry tried to smile, but stopped himself. He knew she would see right through it, she always had. "I don't know." He said honestly. He took her small warm hands in his own, looking at her straight. "Look Ginny, I..."  
"Harry!"  
Harry turned around to see Lupin standing in the doorway of the office. He was looking at them in concern. "Are you all okay?!"  
Harry grinned genuinely to show him he was sound at least as Lupin strode forward and clasped his hand. "We're fine Remus."  
Hermione had quickly jumped up from a disappointed looking Ron, "Did you find Darius?"  
Apparently deciding they were indeed all in one piece Lupin waved a haphazard hand. "Yes we found him, but that's not why I'm here. I just have to drop off my charge. Dumbledore will be here soon to see to everything."  
"Charge?" asked Ginny, looking to the door.  
Harry looked as well. Standing in the doorway was a young woman about twenty years old dressed in a plain robe of rust colored wool. She was oriental, with long black hair and a pretty face which at the moment was completely expressionless. Harry found something about her unnerving, but it wasn't until she looked at him he figured out what it was. Her eyes were flat black, like the pupils had taken over the irises completely. It clashed with the white of her eyeballs, giving her an otherworldly look.  
Lupin nodded to her, "This is Lady Souri. She is the apprentice of the man I was sent to find, Onmyoji Zao." Lady Souri bowed slightly from the waist, but made no comment and her face remained blank. "She's here to see Dumbledore."  
"Was Master Zao unavailable?" asked Hermione, Ron was staring at Lady Souri in an odd fashion until Hermione elbowed him and he stood straighter.  
"Unfortunately Master Zao was killed by Voldemort after Voldemort had stolen the soul sphere from him." Lupin said sadly. "Apparently his notes were what Voldemort used to find the knowledge to remove Darius' soul. Souri here has come to aid us." Harry looked to see if the mention of her dead master had any effect on Souri, but she still remained as unresponsive as a statue.  
"Glad to see you're all okay, I'll see you later." Lupin said, stepping back.  
"You're going already?!" Harry asked. He wanted Lupin to stay.  
Lupin winked at him. "I'll come by tomorrow and see you Harry, I've still got business to attend to." Adjusting his cloak he headed back down the stairs with a wave.  
After he left Ron and Hermione went back to the armchair with much urging from Ron. Souri treated everyone in the room as though they were wallpaper and began examining one of the silver instruments on the table with vague interest. Ginny laid her hand on Harry's arm again. "You were saying?"  
Harry had just opened his mouth when he was interrupted yet again, this time by trilling. Fawkes swept into the room singing his piping song and upsetting many of the occupants of the portraits as he flashed by.  
"Good morning," said Dumbledore pleasantly, as he stepped into the room after Fawkes, "I am glad to see none of you have suffered serious injury in the course of this night's events."  
Harry turned to Dumbledore, feeling Ginny's hand slide into his own and hold it tightly. Ron and Hermione stood up as well, but Dumbledore waved them back to their chairs. He bowed politely to Souri, when she didn't acknowledge him he walked over and sat down behind his desk. Fawkes trilled one last time and then settled on the desk next to him.  
For a long moment no one said anything, all seemed to be collecting their thoughts. Finally Hermione spoke up, "Sir, about Darius, is he...?"  
"Darius Raider had been returned to us." Dumbledore said, with a gentle smile. "I have just come from the hospital wing where I left him in the care of Madame Pomphrey. He had been rather severely injured, but he will be physically sound in a short time. His humanity had been restored to him; you are welcome to visit him later if you wish."  
Harry looked around at his friends. They looked as doubtful and uncomfortable as he felt. He wasn't really sure he could go see Darius. What would he say to him? He felt uncomfortable just thinking about it.  
"I know you might have reservations about him." Dumbledore said shrewdly. "But I must ask you to try your best to put them aside. Darius might need that before too long."  
"Why Professor?" Ron asked suspiciously, Hermione shushed him with annoyance.  
"Because at this time he is suffering terribly from guilt." Dumbledore answered, he looked at them seriously. "The knowledge that none of you harbor resentments toward him for the actions of the Reaper will help him rise above his guilt. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to him I will not force you to do so. I simply need to impress upon you how helpful it would be."  
"Yes I understand." Harry nodded, what Dumbledore said made sense to him. Ginny too, seemed decided. Ron and Hermione nodded as well, though Ron did it a little more hesitantly. Dumbledore smiled at them proudly, then cleared his throat. "That being said I must also apologize for my failure in the Forbidden Forest and for the trauma you endured while we searched. We arrived with all speed."  
"That's all right sir," Hermione assured him as she passed an arm around Ron's waist and smiled. "It all worked out for the best." Ron smiled sheepishly and blushed.  
Dumbledore's return smile was kindly. "Yes, I suppose it did for some." His eyes turned slightly to Harry as he said this, but addressed them all. "I should also tell you this, no matter how true the Reaper's statements may seem you must always keep his nature in mind. He delights in spreading pain and confusion; he is quite good at recognizing our flaws and making them seem as ugly and visible as possible. However he is not human."  
"You're damn right he isn't!" Ron said feelingly, Hermione elbowed him and he fell silent.  
Dumbledore continued as if there had been no interruption. "Because he is not human he does not understand what it means to be human. That is to say that our flaws are just as much a part of being human as our virtues. Without our flaws we would not be human, but rather mindless machines with no free will"  
He looked at them again, the everlasting twinkle in his eyes comforted Harry. "Do not let yourself become mired by the Reaper's words. Your flaws make you who you are, and that is nothing to be ashamed of."  
Harry smiled genuinely, feeling a bit better. "Thanks Professor." Ginny thought for a moment, seemingly taking it all in, and then nodded. Ron and Hermione seemed to have accepted the Headmaster's words as well.  
Hermione frowned for a moment and then spoke up again. "Sir, what about Viktor?"  
"We found Professor Krum in the Forbidden Forest shortly after you were abducted." Dumbledore replied. "He is going to live; he also is currently recuperating in the hospital wing. I fear he is not much better emotionally than Darius. You may visit him later as well."  
Harry couldn't bring himself to hate Krum, not after seeing what the Reaper had done to him. He thought about it for a moment. "Did you know about him sir?"  
"I had some suspicions yes," Dumbledore said, adjusting his glasses, "which was one of the reasons I felt concerned about his sponsorship of the D.A. The circumstances of his arrival in England were highly suspect. However, I wanted to believe the best of him so I took him on here. The fact that his family was lost made people disinclined to ask him questions, a perfect setup for a spy. However, when I watched him, I looked for Voldemort's influence, not the Reaper's. In the end Voldemort is the greater evil. Despite the Reaper's treachery he was still able to accomplish most of his goals, the Sword of Godric Gryffindor has fallen into his hands."  
Hermione gasped, Ron looked up so sharply he hurt his neck. Ginny, who had heretofore been silent, spoke up. "But sir, didn't you send...?"  
"Professor Snape was unsuccessful in his search for the sword. I believe Peter Pettigrew was present and responsible for the sword's disappearance. As to why Voldemort wanted the sword, I have only my suspicions. As the Heir of Slytherin he cannot use it himself, so he must be trying to prevent us from using it. Or rather he wishes to prevent Harry from using it as he did at the Reaper's lair.  
Harry was dumbfounded. It all made sense, no one else had been able to do what he had done with that sword. Perhaps it had been a key to Voldemort's defeat. And now Voldemort had it.  
Dumbledore smiled at the look on his face and stood up. "I would advise you not to worry about such things at this time. I would like all of you to just relax. There will be time enough later for worry. Get some rest; visit our patients in the hospital wing if you can. Both Darius and Professor Krum need your help."  
Harry nodded to Dumbledore and they all stood slowly and began to file out. Harry glanced back over his shoulder to see Dumbledore looking sadly at the scythe lying on his desk. Just as Harry turned around the stairwell he saw him straighten up and beckon Souri to him.  
They walked down the stairs in silence. At the bottom they stood undecided, not really sure what to do. Harry realized it was early morning, and he was bone tired. "I think we all need to get some sleep." He remarked. Ron and Hermione nodded, Ginny was still looking at him in concern, but said nothing.  
They moved through the slowly awakening school. Passing through the portrait hole with the irritable Fat Lady they stepped into the empty common room and stopped in front of the staircase.  
"Good night Harry, Ginny." Hermione said tiredly. "Good night Ron." She said in an entirely different tone of voice. She hesitated for a moment blushing, and then stood on tiptoe to kiss him. Ron wrapped his arms around her tightly for a moment before letting her go with obvious reluctance. When they pulled apart Ron avoided Harry's eyes and hurried up the stairs, his ears already turning scarlet. Hermione smiled dreamily and left.  
Harry was smiling fondly after them when Ginny enfolded him in a warm hug. "Good night Harry," she said softly, kissing him on the cheek, "sleep well." She hurried up the stairs with her fiery red hair bouncing behind her. Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times as she disappeared up the stairs, but he couldn't seem to get words out. The lingering feeling of her lips on his cheek made coherent speech impossible.  
Grinning like an idiot in spite of himself he made his way up the stairs. Ron was already in bed. He and Harry shared a moment of comradely smiling and then turned away self-consciously when they realized what they were doing. Harry put on his pajamas and laid his sore and exhausted body down. He was asleep in minutes. 


	80. Chapter 79: Forgiveness

I apologize to those who thought that was the last chapter; I have one more chapter and an epilogue in mind after this. I have to set the stage for a sequel at least.  
  
Chapter 79: Forgiveness  
Hogwarts was ablaze with rumors and theories the next day. Once again Harry found whispers and stares following him through the halls. He barely even noticed but Ron, Hermione, and especially Ginny were less at ease with all the superstitious attention.  
"It drives me crazy!" Ginny complained as she came out of Transfiguration. Harry fell in to step beside her from where he had been waiting by the door. He, Ron and Hermione had been excused from exams, but to Ginny's annoyance her O.W.L.'s were taking place as planned. "I don't know how you've taken this stuff for six years!"  
"You get used to it." Harry grinned at her and waved to Ron and Hermione, who had rounded the corner ahead of them and stopped near the Front Hall. Harry and Ginny hurried forward to meet them, but just as they did they were stopped by a humbling sight.  
Viktor Krum was walking toward the front doors wrapped in a heavy, traveling cloak. He was carrying a suitcase in his one good hand, half of the other sleeve of his robes fluttered with his steps. Looking up as he approached them, Harry saw the Assistant Professor looked haggard and worn, but at least he was standing.  
Krum stopped in front of the four of them. "Good day," he said quietly as they stared at him. "You haff just arrived in time to see me leave."  
No one seemed to know what to say to this. But Hermione stepped forward, he face sad. Harry sneaked a look at Ron, but besides a slight tightening of his mouth, there was no hint of jealousy.  
"Viktor," Hermione said to him gently, "what happened was not your fault. You tried to help where you could, why leave?"  
Krum smiled a strange smile, his eyes smoldered. "I know it vas not my fault. That is not vhy I leave." His face grew hard. "I vill not stay, nor vill I vork vith anyone who keeps that...thing here!"  
'Daruis,' Harry thought to himself, 'he's talking about Darius. Bloody hell, what do you say about this?'  
Hermione seemed taken aback at the vehemence in Krum's voice, she opened her mouth to say something when Ron stepped past her. Harry tensed, ready to grab his friend if he got violent, but Ron only extended his hand to Krum. ""We'll be here when you need us, good luck."  
Krum just looked at him vaguely, ignoring the outstretched hand he turned and pushed open the doors. "We all have faults Viktor! We all have dark sides!" Hermione called after him unhappily, but he did not turn as he vanished into the bright sunlight.  
There was a long silence and then Ginny abruptly straightened up. "We have to go see Darius," she said firmly as she took Harry's hand, "now."  
Ron looked at Hermione in alarm, but she was nodding in agreement. They both followed as Ginny began hurrying off in the direction of the hospital wing, dragging Harry behind her.  
"Why now?" Asked Harry breathlessly, it seemed a little sudden to him.  
"Because," Ginny's face was grim, "Krum obviously didn't forgive him so we need to let him know that we do."  
That made a certain kind of sense to Harry so he shut up and kept pace with her smaller steps until they arrived at the hospital wing. Hermione's knock was answered by a very flustered Madame Pomphrey.  
"This isn't a good time children." She said hurriedly after she had looked them over for any sign of injury.  
"We need to see Dari...er...Mr. Raider." Ginny stated.  
Madame Pomphrey looked at them in alarm. "You're not here to get angry are you?! We've had quite enough of that from Viktor Krum already! If Hagrid hadn't been here I don't know what would have happened to Darius!"  
"Did Krum attack him?" Harry asked, Krum had looked capable of it when he had left.  
Madame Pomphrey swelled with outrage. "He did indeed! Although Darius was giving him enough help that I'm not sure it could be called attacking! The silly man broke one of my best chairs, gave Krum a sharp piece and just stood there!" She was nearly beside herself now. "If Hagrid hadn't stopped him Viktor would have speared Darius like a fish! So if you are here to get angry I warn you...!"  
"Let them in Poppy." Said a calm voice behind her. "It's all right, no one will get angry."  
The mediwitch glanced over her shoulder apprehensively, but moved aside for Harry and his friends. She then disappeared into her office with a snort that sounded distinctly like, "Foolish!"  
Cautiously, suddenly feeling very nervous, Harry edged into the hospital wing with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny behind him. The beds were empty, but showed signs of recent disarray. The detritus of a broken chair adorned one of the tables, a jagged chair leg sitting apart from the rest.  
Darius was standing at the end of the ward, staring out a large window at the grounds and fingering a silver pendant hung around his neck. He was a black long-sleeved shirt and pants; the black coat was conspicuous only by its absence. He did not turn to look at them.  
Harry looked back at his friends, Ron shrugged at him. Hermione seemed to be casting about for something to say. Ginny was staring at the black figure down the ward with a mix of apprehension and concern. Harry felt at a loss now that he was actually looking at this man who looked exactly like the Reaper but was a completely different person at the same time. He really didn't know what to think.  
Soft laughter interrupted his introspections, he started and saw Ginny grimace at the sound. The sound did not have any real happiness or joy or anything anyone would normally associate with laughter in it. It was a grim humor with a hard and bitter edge. Then Darius did turn, he folded his arms and regarded them with a stiff air. He seemed very ill at ease.  
"So," he began, and his voice was the same and yet different from the Reaper's, with a sharp, grating tone Harry had not heard before. "I know all of you very well. But it would seem you do no know me." He smiled a bitter smile and Harry tensed involuntarily at the flash of fangs still present and threatening.  
With the same fluid grace the Reaper had exhibited, Darius made a very courtly and old-fashioned bow. "Darius Raider at your service, what do you wish of me young masters?" He still had an ironic look on his face, as though he was bracing himself for something Harry and his friends might throw at him while remaining polite.  
"Well..." Ginny seemed quite taken aback now that she was actually in Darius' presence. Hermione seemed unsure as well. Ron was even less likely to speak, he had a recalcitrant look on his face, as though he'd rather be somewhere else. "Um, we were just...Uh..." She looked pleadingly to Harry for help.  
"We wanted you to know we're not angry about all that stuff that happened. We don't blame you okay!?" Harry blurted it all out in a rush, the enigma of his dual images of Darius and the Reaper had quite unnerved him.  
Dairus' grey eyes regarded him keenly and at that moment Harry saw in them the great age and burden of the man before him. A monster whispered in his ear, weighed down by long years of brooding guilt over past deeds, the burning wound of his recent atrocities and the struggle he undertook just to stand up and face another day. All of it was reflected in those deceptively calm eyes.  
"Thank you." Darius said finally. "It is good to see that some are willing to forgive me. I know I do not deserve it. It only shows I have read your characters correctly. I do hope there is some way I may redeem my deeds."  
"You'll find it." Hermione said confidently, finding her voice at last. "We know you will." Ginny managed a smile and squeezed Harry's hand. Harry nodded, Ron said nothing.  
Darius' expression did not soften. "Thank you." He said again and turned back to the window, apparently done with the conversation. Quietly, Harry and the others turned and left the ward.  
Silence reigned until they were back in the Gryffindor common room, installed in armchairs in front of the fire. Ron shuddered as he stared into the flames, "Blimey, Dumbledore wasn't kidding when he talked about 'suffering from guilt,' that bloke was wallowing in it."  
"I'm not sure how much we helped him." Hermione said sadly, absently poking Ron to get him to make room for her. "I wonder if he really believes he can make up for what happened."  
"He really shouldn't blame himself." Harry said thoughtfully, stroking Ginny's hair from where she leaned on his shoulder.  
For a moment he thought he heard her mutter, "You should talk." But when he looked down at her face she was smiling at him. He wasn't sure now that he had heard correctly.  
Ginny grinned and jabbed him in the side, "I'm hungry, let's go down to the kitchens.  
  
Viktor Krum strode across the sun drenched lawn of Hogwarts towards the gate, flexing his remaining hand. A thundercloud seemed to follow him as he passed small groups of gossiping students. Glaring darkly he headed for the winged boars and his destination, the Knight Bus to the Ministry and a Portkey to Bulgaria.  
However as he passed the gate a voice stopped him. "Mr. Krum."  
He turned around. A pale, blonde-haired boy in Slytherin robes was leaning against one of the statues. "Could I have a word with you?!" he inquired.  
Krum narrowed his eyes suspiciously, wasn't this boy the son of a Death Eater? "Vhat do you vant?"  
The boy smirked. "I believe we have a mutual problem, I wonder if you might be willing to listen to a proposal?"  
Krum sized the boy up, "Speak quickly then." he said irritably.  
"I know why you're leaving Mr. Krum," the boy said, "you leave because they have sided with that thing they like to call a person."  
The boy spoke with the same vehemence Krum felt, he leaned forward, suddenly interested. "I know what you're going through Mr. Krum, because that beast did the same thing to me! And I say that he should not be allowed to just walk away cleanly! He remembers doing what he did and I have sworn I will PUNISH him for it!" The boy gritted his teeth, his voice ringing with conviction. There was a short pause.  
"And your proposal?" Krum asked, feigning disinterest.  
The boy's face was set. "I can't do this alone Mr. Krum and frankly why should I? You've suffered just as much and worse, who am I to take all the vengeance?" He struck out his hand. "Work with me and he will suffer a thousand times for his crimes. What do you say?"  
For one long moment Krum hesitated, the thing Hermione had called to him was trying to work its way into the foreground, something about faults. But in another second it had been washed away by a red tide of anger and vengeance. His suitcase fell to the ground and his hand met Malfoy's. "Very vell! Together ve vill destroy him!"  
Malfoy smirked grimly. "Excellent, come on. My place is big and I'm the only one living there right now. I think I can squeeze you in until our venture is complete."  
Smiling in grim satisfaction Krum followed his new partner. 


	81. Chapter 80: Guiding Light

Chapter 80: Guiding Light  
Time passed relatively peacefully for Harry after Krum left. He used the word relatively because, while he still had his doubts and worries, Ginny was with him. The utter peace and serenity he felt whenever she was around seemed to flood his very being and drive his misgivings to the winds. She herself was busy with her O.W.L.'s, but just a few minutes with her left Harry enough happiness for the entire day.  
Ron and Hermione had settled down to contentment. Although they still bickered and fought with alarming frequency, Harry noticed he rarely ever saw the two apart, even in the library. Not even Pansy Parkinson's most vicious insults seemed to faze the couple's attitude. Harry thought it was probably the lack of response that infuriated Pansy more than any counter-insult ever could.  
Malfoy had returned to school briefly after being released from Auror custody. He too had been excused from exams, but Harry caught only one brief glimpse of him as he was talking to Pansy. He found out later Malfoy was "recuperating" at his family manor. Harry was pretty sure the shock of being arrested was not what was keeping Malfoy at his home, but he didn't really care what the reason was.  
Despite the light and happy atmosphere that generally prevailed, dark clouds still intruded. The most obvious was the ever more menacing power of Voldemort, who seemed to go on a binge of attacks in response to the loss of the Reaper. The Dark Mark now hung in the English sky with growing frequency. Now the wizarding community did not dare walk openly at night, Dementors stalked the streets, waiting to seize any unlucky souls who strayed.  
New and frequent entries in muggle newspapers now reported on the strange malady that left a victim without a mark on the body, but with all trace of life wiped from him, leaving only a look of terror on the victim's face. Panic was beginning to mount, as the talk of elections for Minister of Magic began.  
Harry read such things in the Daily Prophet and felt the weight of the prophecy on his shoulders very strongly. His guilt over his actions with Ginny seemed more acute at these times and his doubts about his character would not leave him alone. He still vividly remembered Ginny's pain from the Reaper's spell. It began to get so extreme he sometimes wondered if he deserved Ginny's affections.  
Whatever his feelings were, Harry was sure they were nothing compared to what Darius was feeling. He didn't see the humanized vampire very often, Darius stayed out of sight of the general student body as much as possible. As a result, he became the topic of as many rumors and speculations as Harry himself. After the vampire had left the hospital wing shortly after his talk with Harry and the others, he had gone down to Hagrid's cabin and stayed there ever since. Dumbledore had returned Darius' original wand to him, Harry had no idea what the Headmaster had done with the Reaper's ash wand, he hoped Dumbledore had destroyed it.  
The Reaper's scythe however, had not been destroyed; Harry saw it on his way back from Hagrid's hut. It was stuck into a moss covered boulder down by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The black coat was draped across the handle like a defeated flag. Harry most often saw Darius standing before this odd memorial looking lost and alone. He didn't dare speak to the ensouled vampire; he had no idea what he would say.  
It was only later that Harry found he had no choice on the matter. He was waving goodbye to Ginny as she set off for her last O.W.L. in Charms when he heard the familiar click of the lighter behind him. "She's a special young woman Mr. Potter, am I right?"  
Harry turned to see Darius round a suit of armor and stare after Ginny, deftly flipping his lighter on and off as the Reaper used to do. He was caught off guard but managed a nod. "Yes sir, she is."  
Darius' mouth had twitched at the "sir" but he did not comment on it, he simply looked at Harry seriously. "I know what you're thinking Mr. Potter, and I'm telling you right now you must speak to her and deal with it."  
Harry was taken aback and his first impulse was to not say anything about his feelings. But then he paused, thinking that here was someone who might understand all too well what he was going through. "But how can I do it?" He asked. "How can I face her with it after what happened?"  
"I don't have an answer for that." Darius looked sadly after Ginny, who had long since disappeared. "I only know that if you don't you will regret it for the rest of your life. Believe me, I know." The vampire's grey eyes grew vague, "You have no idea what I would give for the chance to make good on my past actions." Harry could hear the powerful guilt in Darius' voice, it was very moving.  
"You have such a chance Mr. Potter, and a young woman who may be yours forever." He bent down and stared Harry in the eyes. "Whatever happens in the future, don't miss the chance to live. I've had the same feelings as you and if you spend your time like that you can't call it life." He paused, his eyes becoming clouded in introspection again. "What I have, you can't call it living. I just...am." He looked down at Harry again. "So don't miss out."  
Harry thought for a long moment, feeling the sense behind the words. He felt that perhaps there were two ways to apply the advice. "Thank you sir." He said, and meant it. "Thank you very much." Darius nodded absently, already beginning to walk away. Watching his retreating back Harry suddenly had a revelation about the second application.  
"You know sir," he said loudly, "maybe it's not too late to make good on past actions. You've got a long time to try, heck you have forever!" He grew more confident as Darius halted, apparently listening. "Maybe it's time to stop just existing and start living again." Darius paused for a long moment, but he did not speak and he did not turn. "Think about it!" Harry called after him as he began walking away again. He felt strange having just lectured someone more than fifteen times his age, but he shook it off and grinned in spite of Darius' obvious depression. He knew what to do now.  
As he headed down the hallway he was interrupted by the loud voices of Ron and Hermione. "Ronald Weasley!" Hermione sounded aghast, "What do you think you are doing!"  
"What am I doing!?" roared Ron, "I protecting my territory, like any good boyfriend should!"  
"Territory!!!" shrieked Hermione, "Why I have never heard such an idiotically chauvinistic statement in my entire life!"  
Stopping a safe distance away Harry gleaned from the shouting match that Ron had just laid out Seamus with a right hook after Seamus had jokingly kissed Hermione's hand and asked her to go out with him. Apparently Ron hadn't found it amusing and Lavender and Dean were now taking Seamus to the hospital wing with a black eye as the row was going on. Shaking his head in wonder at his two best friends Harry hurried off too his dormitory, he had to plan.  
  
By the end of O.W.L.s, Ginny had acquired a slightly frazzled look, but hadn't had a nervous breakdown. She had bourn up well to the stress and strain and managed to stay herself. Like usual Harry met her in the hall outside her exam area.  
"I'm done!" she shouted triumphantly, nearly bowling Harry over as she flung her arms around his neck, spinning around and around. Her bookbag landed rather painfully on his foot but Harry was a little too focused on her pressed against him to care.  
He had spent a large amount of time that day trying to plan how he was going to apply Darius' advice, but seeing her laughing made him throw it all out. He decided then and there to act. "This calls for a celebration don't you think?" he asked her.  
Ginny smiled, "You bet it does!"  
Harry grinned back, "Then meet me on top of the Astronomy Tower after dinner tonight."  
Ginny fell silent and nodded, looking at him in that peculiar discerning way of hers. She knew something was up with him, of that Harry was sure. But she also knew him very well and therefore didn't ask questions.  
"I've got some things to take care of." He said, reluctantly releasing her. "I'll see you later okay?" He hurried off to get his invisibility cloak. He had some things to get.  
  
He had just done the finishing touches when Ginny arrived at the tower top. She gasped upon entering, letting Harry know that his labors had been well spent. He had managed to get several candles in ornate holders from various places around the castle. It had been a struggle getting them up the ladder, but the soft, romantic atmosphere they lent was well worth the difficulties. He had also nicked two armchairs from the Gryffindor common room with some ingenuity and a few shrinking spells, he felt the stone benches of the tower were rather lacking in feeling.  
Enlisting the enthusiastic aid of Dobby and an army of kitchen house elves he had gotten a fine cake for Ginny. Dobby himself had delivered it to the tower with much effort on his part, as he refused any offers of help. In true Dobby fashion it read "CUNGRATULASHUNS GINNEE" and came with a pair of orange and blues socks. The enthusiastic house elf would have stayed behind and made banners and noisemakers for Ginny, but a secretly horrified Harry had sent him down the stairs to "keep watch." Harry knew they were unlikely to be disturbed, but Dobby was just extra insurance.  
"Wow Harry, this is amazing!" Ginny said in delight, kissing him on the cheek. "Did you do all this?"  
"Dobby helped a lot." Harry said modestly.  
Ginny smiled at the cake, "A look here would have told me that." She turned to him. "I'm surprised you didn't invite Ron and Hermione."  
"I would have but I think they're fighting again." Harry replied.  
Ginny smiled evilly. "Oh you think so?" She picked up the Marauder's Map where Harry had left it open on a bench and pointed to a broom closet close not far from Gryffindor Tower.  
Harry looked, clearly labeled on the map were the names "Ronald Weasley" and "Hermione Granger" in such close proximity they were almost one name.  
Harry shook his head in disbelief as Ginny giggled, "Cripes, yelling one second, snogging the next, I'll never understand those two."  
They both took a slice of the cake and sat contentedly, chatting about peaceful things with no mention of the war outside. For a long time quiet conversation and laughter reigned on the tower. Harry made Ginny laugh as much as he could, he loved her laugh.  
Eventually the talk gave way to silence. Harry stood up and walked over to the parapet. He stared over the starlit grounds, wondering what he was going to do about his problem. He was mulling over his thoughts when Ginny laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her.  
She was looking at him in concern. "What's wrong Harry? You've been a little reserved since...Since we got back from that place." She took his hands in her own small ones. "Talk to me please."  
Harry looked down at their clasped hands, struggling with what he felt needed to be said. It felt so right, holding her, being with her. And yet he couldn't put aside the pain he'd caused her.  
"I love you so much," he finally said to her, "more than I ever thought possible...But I wonder if I really deserve you."  
Ginny shook her head, "Harry..."  
"I'm sorry I hurt you." Harry blurted out, unwilling to stop now that he had gotten going. "I felt it all you know, that was what his spell was, it made me see, made me feel...I'm sorry." He broke off for a moment. "After that I don't deserve you, but I'm going to have to fight Him, and if you're not with me I don't know if I can win. If you're not there with me I don't know if I want to win. I mean, I care about you so much and..."  
"Shhh..." Ginny placed a hand on his mouth, stopping the torrent of speech. "I have to tell you what I feel Harry." Harry quieted, waiting expectantly.  
"This isn't just your fault you know Harry." Ginny said warmly. "It's mine too."  
"What!? No I..." She stopped him with a look.  
"I don't care about what happened Harry, I really don't." She smiled again, "In fact I'm sort of happy you did what you did."  
"Bloody hell, why?!" Harry asked incredulously.  
"Because if you hadn't I might have never admitted to myself how much you still meant to me." Ginny replied quietly. "I used to think that we would never be closer than friends. I had resigned myself to it. That was why I started going out with Michael and Dean, I felt it was unhealthy and I had to move on. But the truth is Harry, you never left my heart. I just didn't want to admit it to myself the whole time you were working up to it"  
"And then I had to drag it out of you." Harry said bitterly.  
"Maybe that was bad then Harry," Ginny told him severely, "but it's not bad now, because if you hadn't we wouldn't be here," she smiled shyly, "and I wouldn't be able to tell you this...I love you Harry Potter."  
Any doubts or fears Harry had harbored seemed to fade into obscurity with those simple words. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, "And I love you Ginny Weasley."  
Their lips met, and some sort of magic must have sparked, for all around the candles seemed to burn brighter, filling the tower top with their light. The two shone with their own inner fire, a blinding flame against the gathering blackness.  
  
Far below on the darkened grounds, Darius Raider stood before the scythe and coat of his inner demon. Some sixth sense prompted him to look up. His keen eyes pierced the night and saw them high above, the light of their love shining for all the world to see. And his dark heart stirred within him at the sight.  
He smiled genuinely for the first time since reawakening to his cursed half-life. "Time to start living." He whispered to himself. Leaning forward, he picked up the black coat and put it on. It felt good, comfortable, and familiar to him. Then he turned, leaving the scythe in the boulder he set off for Hagrid's cabin, he was going to spend some time with his friend, and then maybe he'd go see Dumbledore.  
  
After all, there was a war on.  
  
Just the epilogue left, it will be coming sometime in the next few days. It's only to set the premises for a sequel, to be released at a yet unspecified date. 


	82. Epilogue

Epilogue: The Way Back  
The end of the year feast came and went, Gryffindor securing the House Cup by a narrow margin. But Dumbledore presented the Cup with little or no fanfare. Instead his focus was on his speech, in which he again preached solidarity and unity of purpose. "We must all stand together as a wall. And like a wall we are as strong as our weakest stone, help each other, hold together, and we shall be steadfast and strong, unconquerable by any flood."  
The old Headmaster received an enthusiastic response to this ending, unlike the lukewarm one of last year. Several Slytherins still remained silent, their looks dark, or even smug. Their confidence seemed to be growing as Voldemort's forces delivered blow after blow.  
"He sure gives a good speech." Remarked Harry, packing up his Firebolt and robes in his trunk. The idea of leaving his friends, family and especially Ginny and going back to Privet Drive was a depressing one. However he brushed that aside and stayed cheerful, determined not to spoil his last hours with those he loved.  
"He keeps getting better at it every year." Ron said, pushing some books into his trunk.  
Harry cocked an eyebrow at the pile of books. "What's that?"  
"Huh?" Ron looked down at the top one, "Oh um...Well it's 'Hogwarts a History' if you must know." he said, a bit defensively. Harry continued staring at him. "What? I just got tired of her nagging us to read it okay?" He turned away quickly to give Pigwidgeon some owl treats.  
"Sure mate." Harry turned back to his own trunk and Hedwig's cage, hiding a smile. "Sure."  
"See you next year Harry!" shouted Neville, hurrying out the door to meet Luna.  
  
Hermione and Ginny were waiting at the bottom of the steps when Ron and Harry came thumping down all in a rush. Seamus had decided to leave a timed dungbomb under his bed as a going away present. Luckily Harry had discovered it in time to get everything out of the room, but not in time to stop it from going off.  
They were in such a hurry they didn't notice Fred and George until a snowball hit Ron in the head. "What the bloody hell!? Oh, what are you doing here?" Ron wiped slush from his face, "And what is this?"  
Fred was grinning and tossing a snowball up and down. "Newest invention ickle Ronniekins." He replied, "Snowballs that don't melt, instantly reusable in all climates and temperatures."  
"Sells like hotcakes down in the south where it doesn't snow." George stated, from where he was baiting a hissing Crookshanks.  
"Why are you gits here?" Harry asked good-naturedly.  
"Just came with mum and dad." Fred replied, "Dumbledore wanted to see dad about something so mum decided to come too and take you all home by car."  
"Any word on Perce?" asked Ron.  
The twins grew quiet and Fred shook his head. "He still won't wake up, that ruddy vampire hit him awfully hard, he's still in trouble."  
"We know he's not really a vampire anymore..." said George.  
"But things being what they are..." said Fred.  
"And mum being in the state she's in..."  
"It'd be better if she doesn't see that Raider bloke."  
There was a moments silence then Hermione spoke, obviously trying to keep the conversation on a lighter note. "That still doesn't explain why you're here."  
"We're just along as security." George said loftily.  
"Gotta do our bit for the Order you know..." said Fred in an honorable sort of voice.  
Hermione rolled her eyes and Ginny laughed. "Well come on 'security' help me with the rest of this luggage.  
"What do we look like, porters?" Fred asked, grinning he hurled the snowball at Harry and the twins fled, dashing out of the portrait hole and off in the direction of the kitchens.  
"Prats." Muttered Ron, picking up Hermione's trunk and handing her Pigwideon's cage.   
  
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley met them at the front entrance. Mrs. Weasley nearly broke down in tears as she hugged Ron and Ginny. "Oh my dears! I was so worried about you! You're all right? That beastly vampire didn't hurt you did he?!"  
"Mum we're okay." Ginny pulled away gently. "Better than okay actually." She passed an arm around Harry's waist. Mrs. Weasley beamed at the two of them and engulfed them in another hug.  
"What did Dumbledore want Mr. Weasley?" Hermione asked curiously.  
"Oh nothing much," Mr. Weasley's ears turned red, "just to have a chat with me about the state of the government you know." He fidgeted a little. "Me being Senior Undersecretary and all he just wanted my opinion on some ideas of his." He cleared his throat and left the conversation at that.  
The lawns were drenched in sunshine as they stepped out onto the grounds. Harry was staring out over the glittering lake, thinking about another summer at the Dursleys and frowning when Ginny took his hand. "Cheer up Harry," she beamed at him, "you know you're seventeen in July. That means you're of age and Headquarters is officially yours. You can move out of that stinkhole for good then."  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Harry grinned, feeling much better.  
As they strode across the grounds Hermione suddenly cried out, "Oh! We almost forgot to say goodbye to Hagrid. Come on everyone."  
They hurried down to Hagrid's cabin. Harry could hear Fang barking and see the gryphon shuffling about moodily in the paddock. The twins hurried on ahead, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed along at a more sedate pace. Harry was holding Ginny's hand and rushing to catch up with George when he and Fred came to a screeching halt, staring down the hill at Hagrid's hut. Harry reached them and stopped as well, looking at what was going on.  
Hagrid was feeding raw hunks of meat to a large black thestral. The winged horse was studiously ignoring a barking Fang. Harry was wondering what was up when he saw what had caused Fred and George to halt so quickly. Darius was coming around the side of Hagrid's cabin with a black bag slung over his shoulder. As Harry watched he walked over and began strapping it to the thestral's back.  
Harry looked around, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had stopped as well. Mrs. Weasley's face was dark as she looked down on the black figure of the vampire as he worked. She obviously had no intention of going any closer. Fred and George looked uncomfortable, shuffling as though they didn't know whether to go or stay. Harry looked at the others. Hermione looked sad, Ron confused. Ginny's mouth was set in a firm line.  
Harry slowly walked forward, he felt a moment's hesitation and then Hermione followed. Ron glanced nervously at his mother, when she didn't acknowledge him he and Ginny hurried forward as well.  
Hagrid looked up from where he was feeding the thestral, Harry remembered that now all his friends could see it. He felt a little sad at that thought, but pushed it away as Hagrid roared out a greeting. "Good mornin' to yeh!" He waved his massive hand. "All packed up an' ready to go then?"  
"Yeah Hagrid, we just came to say goodbye. Will you be here over the summer?" Harry asked as he approached.  
"Might be, might not." Hagrid said evasively, twisting his hands.  
Hermione was looking at the thestral. "Hagrid what...?"  
"It's for me." Darius said as he came up behind her. She squeaked in surprise and shuffled out of his way as he brought an extra rope for the bag.  
"You're leaving?" asked Harry incredulously, wondering if his advice had gone unnoticed.  
"Yes." Darius said quietly, deliberately not looking at where the rest of the Weasleys stood. "I'm off to Bulgaria on assignment for Dumbledore. Have to go find an old friend and kill him."  
Ginny gasped, glancing over her shoulder at her mother's distant figure. "She doesn't need to know Miss Weasley." Darius said dourly, "Unless you feel she does. Anyhow, I have a feeling we will all be seeing each other again, perhaps soon. Farewell until then." He said curtly, and then hoisted himself onto the thestral's back. As he looked down at them he smiled very slightly, "Well done Mr. Potter. Well done."  
Ginny poked Harry in the side. "What's he talking about?"  
Harry grinned at her. "I'll tell you some other time."  
Darius nodded once to Hagrid and lifted his hand to Harry and his friends, then dug his heels into the thestral's sides. The black winged horse leapt into the air and soared out over the Forbidden Forest, rapidly disappearing into the wide blue sky.  
Harry and his friends watched until he was nothing but a black speck, then looked back to Hagrid. "Well you four, yeh all have a good summer now yeh hear?" Hagrid grinned at them cheerfully for a moment. Then his face grew serious and he laid his hand on Ron and Ginny's shoulders. "He's a good man you two, yeh know that. I don' want ter be gettin' mixed up in no family business. But tell yer mum that if yeh can."  
"Um...Okay Hagrid." Ron looked nervous at the very thought of lecturing his mother. Ginny could only nod.  
"Right, hurry along now or yeh'll miss yer ride." Hargid boomed, grinning at them and patting Fang.  
"See you Hagrid!" Harry called, and then turned, hurrying after his loved ones and off to a new summer.  
  
Albus Dumbledore watched them go from his office window, running across the lawn like deer to Mr. Weasley's car. Normally such a sight would make him smile, seeing many such things was what gave his eyes their famous twinkle. But he was not smiling as he watched the young ones leave. His eyes were drawn down to the large parchment in his hand.  
"You are sure of this?" he asked, looking over his half-moon glasses at the other occupant of the room.  
"My master checked the translation and implications with every source he knew of." Souri replied from where she sat before his desk. "He said you would have more methods for making sure it was accurate."  
"He was correct," Dumbledore mused quietly, glancing at the silver instruments on his table, "this bears investigation. You are absolutely sure it applies to them both?"  
"Quite sure Headmaster, it is a reference to the abilities of Harry Potter and the one who was formerly Thomas Riddle." Souri's black eyes were flat. "I am not sure of the rest, but my master seemed certain he was correct."  
Dumbledore sighed, staring down at the black words on the parchment. "I hope for Harry's sake he was wrong. I will investigate this further to be absolutely certain before I inform him. I would appreciate your discretion in this matter until I do."  
Lady Souri nodded. "Of course Headmaster."  
  
Lord Voldemort's red eyes glared down upon the crouching figure. "Speak."  
"Master the vampire forces have deserted us." Said Lucius Malfoy, his chest still bandaged from the scythe slash. "It appears they are uninterested in our great struggle if the Reaper is not here. We learned that from the few we managed to catch before they left."  
Voldemort did not even bat an eyelid. "Kill them, as painfully as possible. What else?"  
"One good piece of news considering the vampires, Master," Malfoy dared to raise his head slightly, "Macnair has made contact with the Reaper's lieutenant Maximilien Drake and the party of Transylvanian vampires he was leading in the mountains of Bulgaria. It appears Drake is quite willing to work for us, despite his former master's disloyalty. Shall we engage him master?"  
"Tell him he is to bring the Bulgarian fugitives to me immediately upon their discovery, if he does not, he will be killed as well, scorched to death by the midday sun. Make sure he knows that, I will have no more treachery from a vampire."  
"His loyalty will be assured master, unlike that traitorous Reaper. He has been ensouled by the Order.  
"It matters little." Voldemort stood, prompting Lucius to fall to his knees. The Dark Lord walked to the single table in the room. "I have what I desired from the Reaper, what happens to him now is of little concern. He will be killed for his betrayals and disrespect, but we need not rush to make it happen."  
The Sword of Godric Gryffindor lay sparkling on the table. Voldemort stretched out his hand and passed it over the blade, careful not to touch it. A terrible smile spread across his warped features. "This shall be the end of all who are unfit to live! The Order of the Phoenix is a fading light in the coming darkness. Let the storm carry them away!" His weird, mocking laughter rose to fill the room, echoing and rebounding in all directions.  
  
"SOON THEY ARE ALL GOING TO BE EXTINCT!!!!"  
  
_That's all folks!!! I'll be out of the loop for a month as of this coming Thursday while I go to Basic Training for my ROTC Detachment. When I get back I will start work on the sequel.  
  
Many thanks to all my reviewers who stuck with me throughout this story and to all my newer ones as well, you've inspired me and this story a great many times.  
  
Disclaimers: The Harry Potter concept belongs to J. K. Rowling, not me. I am simply borrowing the story to have a little fun with.  
  
The inspiration for my OC the Reaper/Darius Raider came from the characters of Angel and Spike from the T.V. shows Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The concept belongs to those shows, not me._


End file.
